LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 
1 "B>m£f 



i ©fjnit — Gqtgriaty tya... 







m 










SERMONS 



BY THE LATE 



/ 



JOSEPH KING 



WITH MEMOIR 






CINCINNATI, OHTO 
STANDARD PUBLISHING COMPANY 

tyuUizfynvB of C§*i*fian Ciferafuw 



V 



33 ft 32 7 

. KsS+ 




Copyrighted, 1893, by 
The Standard Publishing Company. 



to 

THE FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH, 

ALLEGHENY, 

THESE RECOLLECTIONS OF 

SERMONS 

PREACHED BY THEIR LATE 

PASTOR 

ARE AFFECTIONATELY 

DEDICATED. 



PREFACE. 



These reminiscences of sermons are given to the press 
substantially as they were prepared for the pulpit, care being 
taken that the integrity of the author's peculiar style should 
not be disturbed. Having been intended for the ordina^ 
services of the IyOrd's day, without any thought of a wider 
circulation, they make no claim to unusual merit. 

While doctrinal literature has been put forth in great 
abundance, it is believed that there is yet room for the 
modicum herein contained, and that the earnest words of 
this good man on the graces of the Christian life, and the 
growth of the Christian character, may meet a real want in 
our literature. 

It is hoped that what was so helpful to the large num- 
bers who waited on his public ministry may prove to be no 
less beneficial to many others who did not enjoy that privi- 
lege. 

The nearest approach to a public utterance and a per- 
sonal acquaintance with the speaker, is a knowledge of his 
history as well as that of the people whom he served, with 
such a view of the circumstances under which he labored as 
might be conveniently outlined. For this reason a memoir , 
has been prepared as an introduction to the work. 

J. I,. Darsie. 

Versailles, Ky. 



CONTENTS. 



Memoir 1-47 

The Great Giver 49-57 

The Great Servant 58-66 

The Saving Name 67-73 

The Healing Power of Christ 74 _ 79 

The Resurrection of Christ 80-93 

Beginning Aright 94-108 

The Days of Youth 109-117 

Our Duty to the Young 1 18-125 

The Church of God 126-136 

The Security of God's People 137-145 

Successful Living 146-154 

Consecration 155-165 

Christian Conduct 166-174 

Prayer and the Faith Cure 175-183 

Energetic Prayer 184-189 

The Highest Good 190-196 

The Eternal Purpose 197-207 

The Service of Love 208-215 

A Tribute of Love 216-222 

Enoch's Walk and Translation 223-230 

The Faith of Abraham 231-239 

The Character of Abraham 240-245 

Personal Pledges 246-252 

Introductory Lecture on the Acts 253-259 

Introductory Lecture on the Acts 260-266 



vu. 



viii. Contents. 

The Descending Spirit 267-273 

The Believing People 274-280 

Confession 281-289 

Baptism 290-302 

The Lord's Supper 303-314 

Scriptural Election 315-324 

The Invitation of Moses to Hobab 325-333 

Christ's Gracious Invitation 334-34Q 

The Terms of Final Salvation 341-348 

Talents and Retribution 349-357 

The Christian's Inheritance . 358-365 

The Ministry of Angels 366-374 

The Second Advent of Christ 375—385 

The Resurrection and Glorification of the Body 386-395 

The Resurrection of Christ — The Promise of Our 

Resurrection 396-404 

Preparation for Death and the Judgment 405-411 

The Judgment 412-422 

Paul's Satisfaction and Confidence 423-431 

Farewell Discourse , 432-446 



MEMOIR. 



Every good life is the result of three influences. 
The first is that which is from within, coming down to 
it from its ancestry. The second is that which is from 
without, lying in its environment. The third is from 
above, and is the work of grace in the soul. 

The endowments of nature, the fostering care of 
education, and the mind of Christ, unite in happy cir- 
cumstance to produce the highest type of manhood. 
As the hidden forces of being awaken into activity and 
unfold into character, receiving their bent from the one 
source, and changing into principles of action under 
the other, there is yet presiding over the life, like a 
talisman, .a spiritual genius, which, by its magic touch, 
sweetens the bitter fountains of the soul, and sets to 
the harmony of heavenly music the discordant ele 
ments of nature. This was most signally illustrated in 
the life, the character, and the career of Joseph King. 
Nature, nurture and grace seemed to have vied with 
each other in the splendid accomplishments of his man- 
hood. The long training of his Scotch-Irish ancestry 
in the grand old Calvinistic faith, doubtless through 
many generations; the early impressions made upon 
his childhood by this truly pious and exemplary peo- 
ple ; and the still later training he received in his acad- 
emic and theological education, were large factors in 



2 Joseph King. 

determining his successful future; but, no language 
can measure the depth and sweetness of his Christian 
experience, nor the strength and fervor of his religious 
life, in its entire devotion to the service of the Master, 
All other things neglected, this alone would have led 
him into a career of extraordinary usefulness, among 
the aggressive forces that "make for righteousness" 
in the world, whatever might have been the circum- 
stances that surrounded him. 

He was born in Trumbull County, Ohio, July 9th, 
183 1 — the third from the youngest in a family of nine 
children. On his father's side, he was a direct descend- 
ant of John Knox, the great Scottish Reformer ; while 
on his mother's side, the McConnels were no less 
worthy of honorable mention, as devoted members of 
the Presbyterian Church. Letters bearing testimony 
to their worth and standing from the church at Donal- 
cony, Ireland, as early as April 16th, 1794, are 
still extant. It was not far from this time that the 
family moved to America and settled in Kinsman, Ohio. 
Joseph's father, in 1835, removed his family to Jackson 
County, Michigan, where soon afterwards he died, 
leaving to the mother the care of the family, who, after 
a sojourn of about two and a half years, returned with 
her charge to their former home in Trumbull County, 
Ohio. This was in September, 1838. On the thirty- 
first of July in the following year, the mother died also, 
leaving her little ones to the care of their friends. 
They all found comfortable homes among their rela- 
tives, in the immediate neighborhood. James, the 
oldest, Mary, the second child, and Joseph, lived with 
their grandparents — James and Sarah McConnel. 
School advantages were meager in those days, and 



Memoir. 3 

progress in the pursuit of knowledge was very much 
hindered, yet the most was made of the advantages 
which the district school afforded in winter, and in 
summer the farm gave plenty of occupation, if not 
amusement, for our hero. 

Although of a timid disposition, which gave but 
slight promise of the hidden forces that were yet to be 
brought out in his later life, Joseph was an apt pupil, 
doing and saying things quite unusual for boys of his 
years. One instance of this kind is well authenticated. 
It is related that, at harvest time, although but a lad 
of about seven summers, while standing on one of the 
cross-timbers of his grandfather's barn, he would de- 
liver excellent sermons to the men who were unload- 
ing hay. In temperament he favored his mother, who 
was by no means robust in appearance, while his father 
was quite the opposite. His mother and one of the 
children died of consumption. Joseph was much given 
to reading, and was always seriously and thoughtfully 
inclined. He was a regular attendant at church, even 
though the services were held eight miles distant, and 
the journey had to be made on horseback. He and 
his oldest brother were constant and untiring in their 
attendance. 

Dr. Daniel McLean, who had charge of a parish 
that worshiped near Greenville, Pennsylvania, came 
regularly to Kinsman on his pastoral duties once or 
twice each year, catechising alike both old and young, 
while an additional task of committing to memory a 
Psalm, or some other selection of scripture, was ex- 
pected from the children. Joseph was famous for the 
promptness and accuracy with which he always attended 
to this religious duty. 



4 Joseph King. 

In the winter of 1849-50 he taught his first school 
in the Thomas District, town of Kinsman. About this 
time, at the age of eighteen, in the autumn of 1849, 
he attended academy at Kinsman and began Latin 
along with other advanced studies, under the instruc- 
tion of the Rev. H. B. Eldred, a Congregational min- 
ister, who lived in the neighborhood, in whose family- 
he found a home, doing chores for his board and tui- 
tion. He always felt the deepest sense of gratitude 
toward this noble-hearted friend, for the interest he 
had taken in him, as well as for his unselfish hospi- 
tality, and ever regretted his inability to repay the 
debt. He was wont to remark that at the age of sev- 
enteen he did not know a noun from a verb; yet, 
seven years later, he graduated at Bethany College, 
receiving the highest honors in a class of eighteen. 

Before his plans had become settled, he tried several 
occupations, looking towards a permanent calling in 
life. First of all he worked on the farm ; afterwards, 
he began the tinner's trade ; and, still later, he became 
an agent to sell trees and other nursery stock. For 
some reason, all his attempts, aside from that of study, 
came to naught. He recognized, as few ever do, the 
hand of Providence in all things, and always felt secure 
in the thought that a life-plan had been mapped out 
for him, as it surely is for those who place themselves 
in the Divine care. Many times, when he essayed to 
do things in his own wisdom, his way was hedged up, 
and the path of his life directed into other fields of 
usefulness, to which he had hardly thought of aspiring. 

In the spring of 1850 he attended academy at Hart- 
ford, Ohio, and the same year entered the Western 
Reserve Eclectic Institute at Hiram. During this or 



Memoir. 5 

the succeeding year, he taught his first district school 
at Lordstown, and about the same time visited Oberlin 
with a view to completing his collegiate course ; but, 
finding that it would take too much time, he gave it 
up. After having taught one or two terms in the dis- 
trict school at Lordstown, he taught a select school in 
the Methodist church, and still later he continued it in 
the town hall that had just been constructed. 

During the three years of his sojourn in this place, 
he was both teacher and student — filling in the inter- 
vals between the sessions of his school by pursuing 
his studies at Hiram. 

Among other things, he taught algebra, chemistry, 
history and physiology, in connection with the com- 
mon branches. Penmanship was a specialty, and his 
work in this direction was considered quite unique. 

He was remembered as of a quiet, retiring disposi- 
tion, it being a very great cross for him to meet persons 
in the social circle. The good people of the Methodist 
church first interested him in religious work. Previous 
to this, he had not been a regular attendant at their 
church or Sunday-school. A friend gave him religious 
books to read, and on a certain Lord's day, at the 
regular morning service, he arose for prayers. He was 
exceedingly thoughtful, showing signs of great mental 
agitation, even refusing to eat. After school hours, and 
late into the night, he gave his time to reading relig- 
ious literature. The more he read, the more he became 
dissatisfied with his spiritual condition, until, laying 
aside everything else, he took the New Testament and 
read it through three times. He became convinced 
that it was his duty to be baptized for the remission of 
sins. At North Jackson, five miles from Lordstown, 



6 Joseph King. 

in September, 1852, where Calvin Smith was holding a 
meeting, he demanded Christian baptism at his hands. 
He took this step, not knowing what he should do next. 
This was characteristic of him : he never hesitated to 
do what he was convinced was his plain duty, regard- 
less of results, or of what men might say. Most people 
think of church relations, and the logical sequence of 
their conversion ; but that question did not seem to 
trouble him in the least. He conferred not with flesh 
and blood in the all absorbing and solemn covenant he 
was about to enter into with God. Near this time a 
conversation took place between the minister who 
baptized him and the pastor of the church which he 
had been attending, the latter saying : ' ' The Method- 
ists converted Brother King, and the Disciples baptized 
him ; now who shall take him ? " Calvin Smith replied : 
' ' Let the Lord have him. " From that time forward 
his life seemed to flow into a channel of deeper and 
wider meaning, because of its entire devotion to the 
one great purpose of saving souls. 

Gathering up the currents of influence that first be- 
gan in the home, where his Christian parents made 
their earliest impressions upon his tender heart, rein- 
forced by the exemplary life and lessons of the good 
pastor of their favorite church ; still further confirmed 
by the kindness of his preceptor, at whose genial fire- 
side he found shelter ; added to all these the solemn 
services of the sanctuary, the ministrations of the pulpit, 
the instruction in the Sunday-school, and the prayerful 
study of the scriptures, we can largely trace the causes 
which culminated in his conversion. Here closes the 
first period in his eventful life. Henceforth his face is 
set for the defense of the gospel, and the timidity of 



Memoir. 7 

youth merges into the no less gentle, yet more pro- 
nounced manliness, that always marked him as a min- 
ister of Jesus Christ. 

Among his instructors at Hiram were James A. 
Garfield and Thomas Munnell. The latter gentleman 
relates how he began the study of Greek. The first 
recitation, consisting of the alphabet, is seldom a per- 
fect one ; it was not in this instance. At the professor's 
suggestion, the class took it for three consecutive days, 
and each time with perceptible improvement, until the 
" pitch of perfection" was well nigh attained. This 
set the key-note for the future work of the class, which 
was always most commendable, and doubtless did much 
towards giving a standard for efficient work during the 
remainder of Mr. King's academic career. But little 
is known of his work at Hiram ; yet we can confidently 
imagine it to be far above reproach, from his habitual 
thoroughness and efficiency in other chapters of his 
history. His attachment for A. S. Hayden, the prin- 
cipal of the institution, and for the remainder of the fac- 
ulty, was life-long, and full of appreciation. 

In the autumn of 1853 he entered college at Bethany, 
Virginia. During two sessions, he accomplished al- 
most double the amount of work allotted to students in 
the regular course. As before stated, he graduated, 
July 4th, 1855, receiving the highest honors in a 
class of eighteen. While a student at Bethany he spent 
one vacation in Lordstown, where he supplied the pul- 
pit of the church, and at the same time taught a select 
school. For his services as teacher he received eighty 
dollars, and for his preaching eighteen dollars. In order 
to make up the sum of one hundred dollars, one of the 
brethren gave him two dollars ; he returned to Bethany, 



8 Joseph King. 

expressing his satisfaction at the results of the work of 
one vacation. A kind friend at Lordstown offered to 
assist him by lending him money to complete his studies, 
but he declined it, preferring to " work his own way," 
as he was accustomed to say, and this he did success- 
fully, although it came near costing him his life. The 
Lord's day preceding his graduation he was ordained 
to the work of the Christian ministry. The following 
names appear on his certificate of ordination : Alexan- 
der Campbell, R. L. Coleman, and J. P. Robison. The 
venerable founder and president of the institution was 
then in his prime, and the following extracts from Mr. 
King's letters will give an idea of the regard he had 
for him, as well as the high purposes that actuated him 
in his studies. They were written to his aunt, Mrs, 
Margaret De Wolf, for whom he had the most tender 
and affectionate regard, and whose letters seemed to be 
a continual inspiration to him. To her, more than any 
one else, was he indebted for the religious convictions 
that had become so firmly imbedded in his mind. She 
was the only relative he had who was in fellowship with 
the Disciples. Previous to his conversion, he and his 
aunt had carried on a frank correspondence, in which 
she had set forth the fundamentals of her faith. Of 
this interesting period she writes: " Knowing Joseph 
to be a young man of rare abilities and of unblemished 
character, and finding him somewhat interested in the 
subject of religion, we opened a correspondence on the 
subject, which was carried on faithfully and persever- 

ingly until he was baptized The Bible to 

me had been a sealed book until hearing it preached by 
the Disciples, when it opened up to my understanding 



Memoir. 9 

like sunlight from behind a cloud, and I could but 
speak of the things I had learned. " 

The following are the extracts from his letters to 
Mrs. DeWolf: — 

Bethany, November 11, 1854. 
My Dear Aunt: 

I take the present opportunity of informing you 
that I arrived safely at the village of Bethany on Wednesday, 
the morning of the 1st. inst. The morning I left you I had 
a pleasant ride to Bazetta, and had a fine congregation to 
address. I am greatly pleased with the church there. It is 
large, thrifty, and their meetings are conducted with the 
most perfect order and propriety. From there I hastened to 
I^ordstown, and stopping but a few moments, hurried on to 
Jackson, where I found a house full of people waiting for me. 
Although the labor and travel of the day had nearly ex- 
hausted my strength, I summoned all the energy and force 
I could command and centered them upon the words of the 
great apostle to Timothy: "This is a faithful saying, and 
worthy of all acceptation, that Jesus the Christ came into the 
world to save sinners, etc." After riding six miles further to 
brother Sear's I felt completely prostrated, and so remained 
there until Tuesday morning, and reached this place at nine 
o'clock the following day. I met with a welcome greeting 
from all — old and young. The very kind lady with whom 
I boarded last year reserved for me a room, and I have no 
room-mate as yet, and do not know as I shall have any this 
year. I feel real well and ambitious. The prospects before 
me seem bright, and I anticipate much pleasure and happi- 
ness in studying this year. My aims are high — my standard 
is elevated — my purposes I trust are noble, and whether I 
ever reach the goal which I have before my mind, time alone 
will determine, should I live. I do not feel much ashamed of 
what I have already accomplished, and intend to keep still 
onward and upward. But in all my aspirations I never want 
to forget that real greatness consists in real goodness, — that 
joy and lasting happiness are to be found only in union with 



io Joseph King. 

and obedience to God. I hope ever to walk humbly before 
God, and in submission to the requirements of the only di- 
vinely appointed lawgiver, that I may at last be received 
into his everlasting embrace. I did not expect, and even did 
not want to teach any here this session ; but, being informed 
that it was the expected desire of the faculty that I should 
hear a class in Latin, I could not but consent. Our presi- 
dent is truly the " champion of revelation," and deeply in- 
spired with the great and glorious truths of the gospel, which 
he exhibits in a manner the most admirable and intensely 
interesting to him who loves to hear and ponder upon the 
merciful scheme of man's exaltation from earth to heaven. 

On the seventeenth of November, 1854, he wrote 
again : 

If my life and health are preserved till next July I will 
have gained the point to which I have been aspiring for the 
last five years, viz., graduation. I feel quite confident now 
that I will secure the first honor of the college, and I intend to 
study with all the energy and vigor I can summon without im- 
pairing my health. My aims are directed to a high standard, 
and whether ever I shall reach the summit of my aspirations, 
time and life only will determine. I want not to live forty, 
or fifty, or sixty years in this world and do no good. The 
person who does so had better by far never live at all. I 
want to benefit the world, and thereby honor the Savior who 
suffered death that we might live with him in the heavens 
above. I can do this only by study, and by living in obe- 
dience to the requisitions of him who created and sustains us." 

Bethany, December 30, 1854. 
My Ever Dear Aunt: — 

I felt very certain that this evening's mail would 
bring me a letter from you, but I find myself disappointed. 
And as I feel like writing you a short letter to-night, I im- 
prove the present opportunity. 

I always feel anxious to hear from you, that I may know 
how you are getting along. I am aware that the cares of 



Memoir. i i 

your family occupy very much, of your time and attention, 

and that you cannot write me very often 

I have not been studying quite as hard this week, as we have 
a respite from college duties from Christmas to New Year's. 
I am not going to spend many more 
hours of my life in unnecessary idleness, although I do not' 
feel as though. I had misimproved many since I began to 
study. Our lives at most are short, and it behooves us to 
work while it is day. An awful and eternal future is before 
us, and our position there is entirely dependent upon the 
manner in which we spend our time while here. The old 
year, with all its joys and pleasures and sorrows, is almost 
gone. It never, never can return. How rapidly time flies ! 
How fast it is hurrying us to our eternal home ! Every year 
seems to grow shorter and shorter — it brings its sorrows, its 
joys and cares. I^ife I find is a reality. Its duties must be 
discharged. And would it not be well for us to reflect now 
one hour upon the events of the present year — upon what 
we have done for Christ and his cause, and renew the conse- 
cration ot ourselves to his service with the opening year ? 
I^et us resolve that the coming year will be spent in laboring 
more and more for Christ, and that we will live more humbly 
and devoutly before him. I was at Steubenville a few weeks 
ago to speak in Brother Phillips' place while he was absent 
in your section somewhere, and last week I received a letter 
from him, requesting me to go and assist in holding a meet- 
ing during holidays. I have not had sufficient experience to 
undertake such a task yet, and could not leave my studies. 
I will not suffer anything to infringe upon my studies this 
year, as I am looking forward to next July with a good deal 
of anxiety." 

During his stay at Bethany he took great interest in 
the Sunday-school, serving as its superintendent for 
the greater portion of the time. His love for children 
was a strong constraining influence in his life, and 
always a delightful inspiration in his work as teacher 
and pastor. 



12 Joseph King. 

The severe ordeal at college almost proved disas- 
trous to his health. Soon after graduating he had an 
attack of brain fever, and for a time there was the 
gravest anxiety for his life. It is doubtful whether he 
ever fully recovered from this unfortunate illness. He 
began his first pastorate at Warren, Ohio, in August, 
1855. The late Isaac Errett had been his predecessor, 
and was greatly admired by the church and community 
alike. Perhaps no more difficult field for a young man 
could have been found anywhere at that time. He was 
in straitened circumstances, delicate health, and with- 
out experience, yet he manfully began the task com- 
mitted to him. 

He never regarded his year's work at Warren as a 
great success. His sensitive nature, lack of training 
for pastoral work, and the peculiar situation of affairs 
in the church and community, were not favorable to 
marked results, yet his work was by no means a failure. 
As superintendent of the Sunday-school, as well as pas- 
tor of the church, he exerted an influence for good 
which is remembered with gratitude and affection, after 
a lapse of almost forty years. 

It was here that he conducted the services of his 
first funeral at the death of a child only thir- 
teen months of age. Every minister can appreciate 
the surpassing interest and solemnity of such an occa- 
sion. He never forgot the deep and lasting impression 
made on his mind by that solemn incident, and reverted 
to it in after years as marking an epoch in his minis- 
terial life. The sympathy he felt for the stricken family 
and their child, in its innocency and purity, knew no 
bounds. During his stay in Warren he did much to 
assist his youngest brother in securing an education as 



Memoir. 13 

a lawyer. It was his custom to write out and commit 
to memory his first sermons, and to rehearse them in 
the open air. He took great pride in having them of 
the most approved style and diction. 

In February, 1856, he was united in marriage to 
Miss Alvina Fitch, of Hartford, Ohio. She proved to 
be of great assistance to him in his labors, and did 
much to call out his abilities, especially in the work of 
visiting his people. She had fine literary tastes, and a 
thorough classical education, having been a student at 
Oberlin College previous to her marriage. Towards 
the conclusion of the engagement at Warren, Mr. 
King wrote his old friend, Thomas Munnell, then en- 
gaged as principal of an academy at Williamsville, New 
York, expressing dissatisfaction with his attainments 
and qualifications for pastoral work, and his desire for 
more time in which to prepare himself, by study, medi- 
tation and growth in grace, for more efficient service. 
Like most young men while at college, he had an eager 
anxiety to get through, that he might be about his 
Father's business. He thought that, when free from 
text books and the restraints of the recitation room, he 
could enjoy the long-cherished opportunity of spiritual 
culture and growth. In this he was sadly disappointed 
and overwhelmed by a sense of unfitness and inca- 
pacity. He, therefore, sought for advice. The result 
was that, in August, 1856, he and his wife took posi- 
tions in the Williamsville Classical Institute, where they 
remained about three years, Mr. King serving part of 
the time as minister of the church, and principal of the 
academy. He was spoken of at this time as having 
the boldness of the lion with the gentleness of the 
lamb. His labors for the church were greatly blessed 



14 Joseph King. 

in the conversion of many souls. The permanent re- 
sults of his work at this point are still manifest in the 
lives of many whom he deeply impressed and quickened, 
both in the school-room and from the pulpit, with 
the profound meaning of noble service for God and 
humanity. 

If education consists in energizing the mind, height- 
ening the ideal, and planting noble and lasting impulses 
in the soul, rather than in storing the memory with 
facts and principles, Joseph King was the highest type 
of an educator. The intensity of his purpose, the 
moral earnestness of his soul, and his serious and rev- 
erential spirit, made him a unique and striking person- 
ality to every one who knew him. 

In the summer of 1859, Mr. King began his four 
years' work at New Lisbon, Ohio. This church, like the 
one at Warren, was an old field, and had been cultivated 
by men of the highest standing and ability among the 
Disciples. He came to his work here with the vantage 
more largely in his favor than it had been in his first 
charge, by reason of maturer experience and more favor- 
able circumstances. His sermons showed the most care- 
ful preparation, and the one burthen of his preaching was 
Christ. He had none of the tricks of the sensationalist, 
and he despised sham in every form. So deep and solemn 
was his earnestness that his most commonplace utter- 
ances commanded the closest attention and respect. His 
best work was among the young. In 1 862, he delivered a 
series of sermons to them, that proved to be eminently 
helpful and inspiring. He was, at that time, about 
thirty years old — the age at which the Master began 
his public ministry. The Sunday-school received his 
constant care and solicitude. Children's meetings for 



Memoir. 15 

prayer and the study of the scriptures were held by the 
pastor and his wife. 

Deep, far-reaching, and masterful were the brief 
years of his ministry, in this grand old church, among 
some of the most delightful people that it had been his 
privilege to serve. No wonder his work was blessed. 
No wonder the church was lifted up to a higher plane of 
spiritual life and privilege ; and no wonder that he has 
been held in the most affectionate regard by all who 
enjoyed his friendship during those halcyon days. The 
items for narration are quite meager, because of the 
smooth and undisturbed current of the church's life, as 
it flowed on with ever increasing volume into deeper 
channels. 

Here, beyond all doubt, was solved the question of 
his fitness for pastoral work. Diffidence had yielded to 
confidence ; crudeness, to muturer thought and deeper 
emotion, while on stepping-stones of his own experi- 
ence he had risen to efficiency and power in his work, 
and thus became a pastor indeed. Here, also, the foun- 
tains of his soul had been deeply stirred by the loss of 
his devoted wife, who had for many months stood at 
his side as a help-meet in all his labors and discourage- 
ments in this most important period of every pastor's 
experience. She passed away August 2nd, i86i,andher 
remains we laid at rest in Hartford, Ohio. She was a 
lady of many accomplishments — tall, stately, intellect- 
ual, with much natural dignity, yet most cordial and 
kind ; attractive and winning by the gentleness of her 
ways, and the sweetness of her disposition. Although 
she had been reared a Congregationalist, she united with 
the Disciples, and was fully identified with their plea for 
a restoration of Apostolic Christianity, while she most 



16 Joseph King. 

worthily filled the difficult station of a pastor's wife. 
She had been a great reader and a close student all her 
life, and died in the full triumphs of Christian faith. 
The church at Allegheny was organized on the 
second Lord's day of March, 1835. William James 
and Samuel Church were the first elders. Hugh Smith 
and David B. Estep were the first deacons. The mate- 
rial that composed the church was mostly of Scotch- 
Irish extraction, and its history was largely influenced 
by the traditions of that people. The current reform- 
ation was yet in its cradle. The times were turbulent. 
With a zeal that consumed them, all religious bodies 
were moved to contend for their peculiar tenets. The 
Allegheny church was no exception to this rule. For 
twenty-five years she was disturbed by commotions as 
she struggled for the ancient faith. The ablest men in 
the ranks of the reformers were powerless to prevent 
discord. With varying fortunes the cause progressed, 
now harassed by foes without, now disturbed by fears 
from within. A primitive element, that had little 
respect for clerical authority, was in the ascendency, 
and in a large measure, was the cause of this unrest. 
Several bodies at certain intervals were thrown off from 
the parent church, which sought places of worship 
and organized work more congenial to their tastes and 
theories. After brief periods of separation these infant 
movements would disintegrate, most of the fragments 
gravitating again towards the original mass. The last 
movement of this kind took place in i860, and sought 
a home in Pittsburgh. On account of this the church 
was in a weak and discouraged condition, with but 
small prospects of ever enjoying better times. In the 
summer of 1859 tne church building on the banks of 



Memoir. 17 

the Allegheny river was consumed by fire, and little 
if any avails were saved from it, either by insurance or 
otherwise. This was a most providential occurrence, 
although, like all such calamities, it seemed dark and 
foreboding at the time. It had the effect to arouse the 
church from its lethargy — slough off some effete mate- 
rial, sift out the good wheat, and lift the work out of 
its old ruts. For about eight years they wandered 
about in a homeless condition, worshiping in public 
halls, suffering much from the inconvenience of this 
unsettled condition, but remaining ever true to the 
great principles for which they had been contending. 
They emerged from this long, troublous and turbu- 
lent period of uncertainty only too glad to be at peace 
and to engage in any enterprise that might secure for 
their Zion a permanent home. Their share of this 
world's goods was quite small. T. C. McKeever came 
to their help about the time that they lost their church 
building, and very much refreshed and encouraged 
them by his labors. Having charge of a ladies' semi- 
nary at West Middletown, Washington County, Penn- 
sylvania, it was not possible for him to do more than 
supply the pulpit. At his suggestion, however, they 
sought to settle a regular pastor. Many names were 
proposed and a diversity of views obtained, but the 
choice, which was quite unanimous, finally fell upon 
Joseph King, of New Lisbon, Ohio. He was first 
brought to the attention of the church while on a visit 
to Allegheny during the holiday season of 1862. Being 
in the city, he was invited to supply the pulpit for a 
single Lord's day, and accepted. The subject of his 
discourse in the morning was " Prayer." The sermon, 
which made a marked impression at the time, is still re- 



1 8 Joseph King. 

membered with much pleasure and profit. It was not 
because of its eloquence, its profound thought, or its 
noble diction, although in these particulars it was by 
no means at fault ; but because of its simple, unaffected 
earnestness, and the spirit in which it was conceived. 
Soon after this he accepted the call extended him, and 
on the twenty-eighth day of June, 1863, entered upon 
his labors as pastor. The salary offered him was quite 
meager and quite out of proportion to the work he 
had to do. In his letter accepting the call, Mr. King 
set forth certain conditions, one of which was that his 
salary should be paid promptly in full at the close of 
each quarter ; and, although it was increased and more 
than doubled, to the end of his pastorate, be it said to 
the honor of his faithful people, he was never allowed 
to wait a single day for them to fulfill their part of the 
contract. The church at this time enrolled probably 
about two hundred efficient members. The first record 
of his work as pastor bears date of August 31st, 1865, 
when he was elected chairman of the official board, a 
position which he continued to fill as long as he re- 
mained pastor of the church. The business affairs of 
the congregation were in the hands of a board of trus- 
tees, composed of seven deacons suggested by the 
original seven appointed in the mother church at Jeru- 
salem, and was afterwards increased to twelve or more, 
as the the size of the congregation seemed to demand. 
During Mr. King's ministry about thirty persons in all 
served in this capacity, and to their wisdom and faith- 
fulness, as much as to any other one cause, may be 
attributed the success of his remarkable pastorate. 
The spiritual interests of the church were looked after 
by elders or overseers, but they always acted in har- 



Memoir. 19 

mony with the Board of Deacons. It is not our purpose 
to give a full portrait of this important period ; the ma- 
terials for more than a few of its prominent features 
are not at hand, and have never been preserved. The 
routine of every day duties in the minister's work affords 
but little variety for the pen of the historian. Sermons, 
visits, funerals, marriages, and occasional calls to neigh- 
boring churches, to aid in extra meetings, make up the 
larger part of visible results. The patient and thorough 
way in which Mr. King attended to all the details of 
his work, his untiring energy and fidelity to all the 
seemingly unimportant duties of his parish, the drudg- 
ery that is so irksome to most pastors, and the least 
things that are so easily overlooked, were all met by 
him, with as much zeal and care as if everything de- 
pended upon them. Nothing was neglected. 

His labors at Allegheny began with much apparent 
discouragement to him, and for a time he had grave 
doubts as to the wisdom of continuing them. During 
this season of uncertainty, he made a visit among his 
friends in Ohio, where, after consulting with them, he 
decided to return and prosecute with vigor the work 
he had entered upon. This was another turning-point 
in his history, which had all the marks of providential 
direction, and he was quite content to so regard it. 

On the eighth day of June, 1864, he was united in 
marriage to Miss Charlotte S. McGrew, a member of 
one of the oldest families in the church. It was an 
auspicious occasion. A large company of friends were 
present to witness the ceremony, which augured so 
much for their own happiness, and for the future pros- 
perity of the church. Eternity only can tell how 
much this admirable union contributed to the success 



20 Joseph King. 

of his extended pastorate. The condition of the church 
showed every indication of healthy growth. Additions 
were continually made to their numbers, peace reigned 
throughout their borders, and the pastor and his wife 
were greatly beloved by all who knew them. It soon 
became a confirmed conviction that no better choice 
could have been made, and that the health and pros- 
perity of the church was all that any one could desire. 
Supported by his noble band of officers, his influence 
began to be felt in the city, upon persons hitherto 
beyond the range of the church. 

In 1866, after purchasing a lot, in a location thought 
by many at the time to be too far towards the out- 
skirts of the city, because there were so few churches 
in the neighborhood, they began the task of erecting 
their present commodious house of worship. They 
were wise enough to build for the future. It was soon 
found that the location was the best that could have 
been chosen. A large increase in the wealth of Pitts- 
burgh, on account of the production of coal and oil, 
following soon after the close of the war, stimulated all 
branches of business, and, taking advantage of this, 
they built a house in keeping with the most advanced 
architecture, as well as in anticipation of the wants of a 
growing and aggressive church. All the details of the 
work were under the care of the pastor, ably seconded 
by his people. 

On the twenty-sixth day of March, 1867, after many 
anxious and perplexing weeks of work and worry, the 
church met for the first time for worship in the lecture 
room of the new building. On the last Lord's day of 
February, 1868, the auditorium was finished, and the 
dedicatory services were conducted by Isaac Errett. 



Memoir. 21 

Noble and generous had been their contributions to 
this work; faithful and self-denying had the people 
been under many trying circumstances ; happy and 
hopeful was the outlook for the future. A long period 
of vexation and discouragement in their history had 
come to a close. From henceforth the light of their 
candlestick will show only cheerful rays, along the 
pathway of those who go forth from this noble commu- 
nity of Christians to work for Christ in other fields ; and 
as a beacon light ever since has this mother church of 
Western Pennsylvania shed the encouraging rays of 
her influence in every direction where the cause of the 
Master has been planted. 

Perhaps this would be a fitting place to pause and 
dwell for a moment on some of the elements that were 
telling so grandly in the life of Joseph King. First of all, 
he was a faithful and reverent student of the Bible. He 
never allowed any duty to interfere with his prayerful 
attention to its divine truth. It was his lament that, 
much as he was allowed to study it, he could not de- 
vote more attention to its sacred pages. The first and 
freshest hours of the morning were always given to 
this delightful task, and one of the usual duties that he 
assigned himself each day was to commit to memory 
at least eight verses from the text of the New Testa- 
ment. His Greek Testament was his constant com- 
panion. He studied it systematically and with untiring 
fidelity. In addition to this, he gave much time to 
the study of Hebrew, He also found time to attend 
several courses of lectures, at the Western Theological 
Seminary at Allegheny, in order to perfect his knowl- 
edge of Hebrew and other studies. He was a great 
student of books. It was his habit to read the choicest 



22 Joseph King. 

contributions to current literature, as they fell from the 
press. He had an elegant and refined taste. He was 
especially fond of the poets, and it was his delight to 
give liberal and enlightened attention to all new forms 
of religious thought. Nothing escaped him. His re- 
tentive memory enabled him to appropriate everything 
he read. His ability to assimilate was superb. His 
preaching on this account was always fresh and inviting. 

He had a fine sense of propriety, and his knowledge 
of human nature was exceptional. He had a wonder- 
ful faculty of managing people, and of getting them to 
work out his plans, which were always well matured. 
His judgment was clear; his providence, equipoise, 
self-restraint, and self-control were remarkable, in view 
of his nervous and excitable temperament His blame- 
less life, spirituality, business-like methods, and his 
kind and gentle way, impressed every one with his 
ability to do what was for the best in every emergency. 
While he had a delicate sense of humor, and a lively 
appreciation of all kinds of chaste witticisms and health- 
ful amusements, in which he was always ready to join, 
when the occasion permitted, he never joked, and was 
never known to laugh aloud, although often quaking 
with the most violent convulsions of merriment. He 
was pure in speech, tender in his sympathies, yet full 
of righteous indignation in the presence of evil, and he 
had no patience with those who trifled with question- 
able practices. He rebuked gossiping and scandal in 
unmeasured terms. 

He was especially devoted to the poor, of whom he 
had a large proportion in his charge, visiting them in 
their homes, and sympathizing with them in their 
troubles. He knew every one by name, and had the 



Memoir. 23 

rare faculty of impressing individuals with the friendly- 
personal interest he had in them. He gave a great 
deal of attention to developing the social life of the 
church, and labored to have the members become 
acquainted and mutually solicitous for each other's 
good. 

Most of the members depended upon their daily 
toil for a subsistence, and it became necessary to see 
them after the labors of the day were over ; this he did 
often, in company with one of the officers. His plan 
was to give his calls as much of a religous cast as cir- 
cumstances would permit, engaging in devotional exer- 
cises and religious conversation, of which he was a 
master, so easy and natural did it seem to him. No one 
could command such words of consolation as he seemed 
to have, and this burthen of sympathy was quite ex- 
haustive to his nervous system. It was his rule to see 
every family at least once each year, but the sick, the 
lowly, delinquents, and those in deep sorrow, received 
more frequent attention. 

The religious atmosphere of the meetings of the 
church showed the command he had over his people. 
The enthusiastic and aggressive interest in every de- 
partment of church work showed that his own deep and 
fervent spirit was moving in his people. So helpful, 
devout, and far-reaching was this influence, that it ex- 
tended far beyond the limit of the public services of 
the congregation. 

He was exceedingly careful of his health, which was 
never rugged, and of his habits, which were always 
most regular and exemplary. He was neat and cleanly 
to a fault, and was a great admirer of fine costumes. 
Dirt and filth in any form was a continual menace to 



24 Joseph King. 

him. On one occasion he demanded of a friend who 
was visiting him, if he thought a person could live the 
Christian life in all the smoke and grime of Pittsburgh ! 
He had no patience with the use of narcotics, and de- 
nounced them in most uncompromising terms as filthy, 
injurious, and wicked. 

It had for years been the earnest desire of the Alle- 
gheny church to plant the cause in the city of Pitts- 
burgh and vicinities ; but circumstances were not pro- 
pitious for doing this kind of work, especially while 
the burthen of erecting their church building was on 
their hands. Attempts in this direction had several 
times been made, but not with permanent results, and 
the moral effect of such failures had always militated 
against any further experiments in this direction. 

About thirty members of Mr. King's charge had 
found homes at Hazelwood, in the twenty-third ward of 
Pittsburgh, and on the eighteenth day of December, 
1868, an organization was effected at that point, which 
has since grown into a strong and influential church. 
Instead of weakening and depleting the parent church, 
this move only resulted in greatly stimulating her zeal. 
She was always ready to lend a helping hand when- 
ever called upon, and her zeal in planting churches has 
never flagged until this day. 

The wisdom of maintaining a strong central church 
in the metropolis of Western Pennsylvania became 
more and more apparent every year, in its good effects 
upon the cause in the surrounding districts. The earn- 
est, efficient and hopeful work of this grand old 
church, under the wise leadership of those years, is 
bearing fruit in the numerous progeny she has helped 
to rear up. 



Memoir. 25 

Long pastorates at this time among the Disciples 
were quite exceptional. This was considered as diffi- 
cult a field as could be found, because of the old, con- 
servative, prosperous and strongly intrenched bodies 
that everywhere had taken possession of the field. 

On the first day of January, 1869, Mr. King ad- 
dressed a pastoral letter to the members of his charge, 
which showed the spirit that had actuated him, and 
the ideal towards which he was striving. A few ex- 
tracts will give the general tenor of the epistle : 

Since I have been with you to labor in the gospel, it is 
with no other motive or object than to promote the Redeem- 
er's Kingdom and save immortal souls. I am your servant 
for Jesus' sake. It has occurred to me that good might be 
done by my addressing to each of you a brief pastoral letter 
in which I might call your attention to a few plain and press- 
ing duties, upon the conscientious discharge of which our 
success and prosperity as a church, and your own individual 
enjoyment, greatly depend. After much thought and fre- 
quent prayer for wisdom, I venture upon the task. 

Thankful for the success of the past, and hoping for a still 
brighter future, let me say, the time has now come when there 
should be a more decided zeal, and a more earnest effort on the 
part of the entire membership. It has ever been my desire, 
and still is, to make our church a model church. I want it 
to be like the church at Philippi, against which the apostle 
brings no charge. Shall it become such ? 

First, then, I desire to secure a more regular attendance on 
the ministry of the word. Your coming encourages others 
and especially him who speaks to you the word of life. 
You know not how much I count upon seeing you in your 
seat. If you did, you would never be absent unless unavoid- 
ably so. Some, I know, live at such a distance from the 
church that they cannot attend the evening service ; but alas ! 
too many are careless about attending either service. 

Make this, I beseech you, a matter of prayer ; and do not 



26 Joseph King. 

allow yourself to think for a moment that you can innocent- 
ly absent yourself from eitiier service when it is possible to 
be present. 

Domestic cares, a slight indisposition, inclement weather, 
dullness of spirits ; none of these are an excuse which will 
avail in the day of judgment ; and if you will prayerfully 
consider the subject, your own conscience will tell you so. 
How is it that during the week you can go to the market, to 
the shops and stores, and be absent from home two or three 
hours in one day, and yet cannot meet with the lord's people 
on his own day ? 

Beware of excuses for neglect of duty. They have ruined 
millions of precious souls, Be conscientious, and look for- 
ward to the day of judgment. 

I do therefore, for your own sake, for the good of the church 
and the salvation of others, earnestly solicit the prompt and 
continued attendance of all the membership on the public wor- 
ship of God mor?iing and evening. Carefully note the follow- 
ing: 

(a) Is it your habit to invite a friend, a neighbor, or 
Stranger to occupy a seat with you on the lord's day ? Do 
you think of this ? Do you ever say kindly, gently, " Come 
with us and we will do thee good?" A single invitation of 
this kind ?nqy lead to the salvation of a soul. From this date 
I shall have in my possession, and always at the church, cards 
giving the name* of the church, its location, and time of 
service, which I shall be happy to give to you for distribution. 
Receive them, and hand to others. 

(6) Will you not hereafter (all who need admonition in 
this respect) be more prompt in assembling? Think, calcu- 
late the time, and resolve never to be late again. Would not 
our services be much more solemn and impressive were all 
assembled, all quiet, and all engaged in silent prayer a few 
moments before the first utterance is heard from the pulpit? 
Should the reading of the Scriptures, or the singing of a 
hymn, be disturbed by entrances any more than the prayer 
or the preaching? Are not all equally acts of worship ? 



Memoir. 27 

Should you not join in praise and in prayer as well as hear 
the sermon? 

(e) Will you not, all of you, respond to the good taste of the 
choir in selecting, for the most part, old and familiar tunes, 
by joining heartily in singing the praise of God ? Provide 
yourself amply with hymn books and Bibles, and always 
unite in this act of worship. 

(d) Will you not strive to be more courteous to strangers ? 
And when new members are received into the church, will 
you not make their acquaintance and give to them the hand 
of greeting and cordial welcome ? " Be kind to one another." 

Then after kindly exhorting them in their duty to 
the prayer meeting, their private and family devotions, 
he concludes as follows : 

And now, dear brethren and sisters, having addressed you 
thus plainly, let me assure you that I shall at any time be 
most happy to receive hints of duty from you. I want you, 
each and all, to aid me in my pastoral work. I^et us be 
"laborers together with God." Should you have sickness in 
your family, any burden on your heart, any anxiety or con_ 
cern as to the path of duty, as to your own salvation, or that 
of any of your family or friends, and desire a call or advice 
from me, be free to tell me. A card dropped into one of the 
collection baskets as they are passed around, with your name 
and address on it, will immediately reach me, and will be a 
sufficient invitation for me to call at the earliest possible 
date. I solicit the confidence and prayers of you all. 

I hope by the close of the present year to have published 
a directory, containing the full name and address of every 
member of the church, our officers, and Sunday-school schol- 
ars, together with such other information concerning the 
church as may be valuable. 

I commend to you the above thoughts and suggestions, 
humbly beseeching the Divine blessing on you and them, 
that they may be promotive of our mutual good. 
Yours truly in Christ Jesus, 
January, 1st, 1869. Joseph King. 



28 Joseph King. 

Strange as it may seem, this letter met with adverse 
criticism at the hands of some persons in the public 
prints, as smacking of popery. This was doubtless 
painful to the sensitive and refined feelings of the 
author. Whether for this reason or not, he never re- 
peated the experiment, although its influence for good 
was beyond question. The ideal that had been created 
by the pastor was largely realized. Few churches ever 
attained to such a state of excellence and efficiency. 

There was a disposition in some persons to pro- 
scribe certain things, not because they violated any 
principle of right, but for the sole reason that they were 
practiced by those who differed from them. It would 
be difficult to rightly interpret the spirit of the times of 
which we speak, without keeping this in mind. 

In the summer of 1868, Mr. and Mrs. King, along 
with some friends, made a tour of Europe. The arduous 
labors of the last few years had done much to deplete his 
strength, and this much needed rest gave him a new 
lease of vigor for his work. During this absence of 
three months, the most serious case of discipline that had 
threatened the peace of the church for a score of years 
arose. It required all of the tact, forbearance, firmness, 
and wisdom of the pastor and his faithful assistants to 
quell the disturbance, but so wise was their action, and 
so worthy in spirit, that it received the unanimous and 
enthusiastic support of the whole church. Mr. King's 
ideas of church government were most admirable. He 
knew how to exercise authority in a firm and kind spirit. 
There were but few public examples of discipline. Ex- 
cept occasional lessons from the pulpit, but little was 
known outside of the official directory. It had always 
been their policy to adjust difficulties in private, either 



Memoir. 29 

by the board in full session, or by a committee appointed 
by them for the purpose, and their decision, which was 
final, was announced to the church as a matter of form, 
if the case was notorious enough to demand public 
notice and reproof. In this way, factions, if any arose, 
were speedily and effectually suppressed. The dignity 
of the pulpit was always upheld, and the prerogative of 
the pastor was never infringed. There was a high 
sense of the solemn and responsible dignity of the 
church and of its authority. Any attempt to invade 
the rights of those ordained to rule was met and 
promptly corrected. If Mr. King was ever open to 
criticism, it was on account of a too sensitive jealousy 
of his peculiar rights as pastor, and yet it is more than 
likely that the secret of his success lay in the support 
accorded him in carrying out this policy. The history 
of all successful church enterprises evinces the fact 
that success is assured by the exercise of the supreme 
authority of some leader, whether officially designated 
or not. 

There was but little friction in the working of the 
official board. As wise and prudent men, they knew 
how to oil the bearings, and to keep the machinery in 
good condition. Having the good of the cause at heart, 
and a disinterested devotion to its welfare, they knew 
how to assist their pastor in his care of the flock. In 
all the ministries of the church, his authority was su- 
preme. No one ever thought of questioning it. His 
influence was felt in every department of work. It 
mattered not who was entrusted with the management 
of any enterprise within the church, all accorded to him 
the right of spiritual dictation if he saw fit to use it. It 
was his constant care and anxiety to develop the 



30 Joseph King. 

spiritual life of the church, and when asked on a certain 
occasion what was the secret of his success, his reply- 
was : ' ' Nothing but the Spirit of Christ. " 

It is a matter of regret that full statistics showing 
the results of his labors have not come down to us. 
Only one report of this kind can be found in the official 
records, and this covers only the first nine years of his 
ministry. During this period, there were 448 additions 
to the church, of which 229 were by baptism, 175 by 
letter, and the remainder were reclaimed. In addition 
to this there were received into other churches in the 
State 92 accessions as the result of meetings held by 
him. The total number dismissed during this period 
was 181 ; of these, 121 were by letter, 45 by death, and 
the balance were excluded. The largest number of ac- 
cessions in any one year was in 1870, when 79 were re- 
ceived — 58 of which were by baptism. The Sunday- 
school at this time numbered 294, with 34 teachers. 

At the close of his ministry in 1884, the number 
enrolled in the church was five hundred and sixty, and 
the Sunday-school could not have been much less than 
this. The results attained in systematic benevolence 
and missionary zeal, for which this church has long been 
famous, largely outweigh any achievements that may 
be indicated in these statistics. 

Mr. King, in addition to his regular work, had many 
outside duties which were quite a tax on his time and 
energies. Indeed, it is strange that his system had not 
sooner given way under the tremendous load that he 
had been carrying. He attended to duties in his charge 
which it is not usual for settled pastors to look after. 
He never neglected the Sunday-school, always taking 
charge of the teacher's meetings, and much of the time 



Memoir. 31 

teaching a class. He was always ready to assist the 
superintendent in reviewing the lessons, and, for one 
year, at least, had entire charge of the school. His 
attention to all the details of every department of work 
was constant and untiring. Outside of his parish, he 
was a regular attendant at the ministerial meetings of 
the city pastors. He was an earnest advocate of tem- 
perance, especially in its religious phases, and the first 
public temperance prayer meetings ever inaugurated in 
the city were held in his church. 

For fifteen years he was a director in the Second 
Ward School Board, and for nine years he was presi- 
dent of the Board of Control of all the schools of Alle- 
gheny City. This board was composed of the directors 
of the various wards. When he began his work for the 
schools, in 1866, there were only four wards in the city, 
with twenty-four directors. When he concluded his 
labors, the city had grown to thirteen wards with 
seventy-eight directors. His tenure as president of the 
board did not cease until he severed his connection 
with the schools in 1883. 

To him, more than to any one else, was doubtless 
due the credit of starting the high school in Allegheny. 
He worked assiduously towards producing a public 
sentiment in favor of it, and all who are familiar with 
the facts will bear testimony that it is a fitting monu- 
ment to his most worthy efforts. In May, 1883, he 
was elected president of Hiram College, but on account 
of his health he was compelled to decline the honor. 

He found time among his other engagements to de- 
vote much attention to the work of the Young Men's 
Christian Association. In all young men, and in all 
efforts for their spiritual welfare, he had a deep interest. 



32 Joseph King. 

Soon after beginning his work in 1863, he started a 
young men's prayer meeting in his church, which has 
continued to this day, and from which have gone forth 
many who have filled places of trust and responsibility 
in the church, and many others who were encouraged 
to devote their lives to the ministry of the gospel. It 
was always his ambition to have a class of young men 
in preparation for college, and he did much to induce 
many to strive for the higher accomplishments of educa- 
tion as well as to enter the professions. 

He organized the first Chautauqua Circle ever started 
in the two cities, and was for a long time its honored 
president. 

He did more than any one to stimulate the mission- 
ary spirit in the State of Pennsylvania, among the 
Disciples, and to arouse it from the lethargy into which 
it had fallen, until it stood in the van of states in all 
liberal enterprises. He was president of the State 
Society for many years. 

In addition to all this, he responded to calls to 
attend many funerals, outside of his parish, for pastors 
of other churches ; to visit the hospitals and charitable 
institutions of the two cities, and in many ways to keep 
up a lively interest in most of the religious and benevo- 
lent enterprises of the vicinities. It seems hardly pos- 
sible that one person could devote attention to so many 
varied interests, and do justice to any of them ; yet so 
systematic were his methods, so cheerful was his spirit 
and so nicely balanced were his faculties, that his system 
seemed to easily react under the most exhaustive 
labors. Added to this, his perfect resignation to the 
will of God, his quiet dependence upon the unseen 
arm, and his delightful eagerness to do the Master's 



Memoir. 33 

work, and we have the secret of his wonderful endur- 
ance. 

In January, 1 88 1, his health began to fail, and it be- 
came evident that he must take a rest. In November, 
of the same year, he was compelled for a time to give 
up pastoral work. In company with his wife he spent 
ten months in travel on the Atlantic slope. They 
visited Clifton and Saratoga Springs, and in the summer 
of 1882 spent most of their time at the sea side on the 
New Jersey coast, and at the White Mountains, re- 
turning much invigorated to their work in Allegheny, 
in September. During his absence in the East, Mr. 
King had many opportunities of presenting the views 
of the Disciples to persons who were anxious to know 
something of "Garfield's Church," as they familiarly 
called it. He also distributed much useful religious 
literature, setting forth the position of our people. 
During this absence, Thomas D. Butler acted as pastor, 
taking efficient oversight of his work, which was found 
to be in excellent condition on his return. Had he 
stopped here, or curtailed the great burthens which he 
had been carrying, it is reasonable to conclude that his 
health might have remained comparatively vigorous for 
many years. But who could, with the zeal of Mr. 
King, and the many exacting duties that were besetting 
him, do less than he did to meet the demands of his 
work ? 

It is easy to see — or to imagine that we see — what 
was the wise course for him to pursue; but for 
one wno was confronted, as he was, with interests of 
such commanding importance, which promised such a 
rich fruitage, and which were beset by so many acci- 
dents, if the skillful hand of the one who had organized 



34 Joseph King. 

them should be long absent, nothing but the most 
imminent and exigent danger would be sufficient to 
drive him from the post of duty. On the contrary, all 
signs of returning health had appeared, flattering him 
to stay at his post, and for a year he gave himself with 
his usual old-time energy, to his arduous work, when 
he was again compelled to ask for another season of 
respite. Most cheerfully did the church grant him 
an extended leave of absence. On the third of Sep- 
tember, 1883, he had requested that they either ac- 
cept his resignation as pastor immediately, or else grant 
him a vacation of one year. They unanimously decided 
to do the latter, and this time he started in pursuit of 
health to the Rocky Mountain plateau and the Pacific 
coast, in company with his faithful wife. About the 
twentieth of October they reached Los Angeles, Cali- 
fornia. For a while his health was improved by the 
change, and he could not resist the impulse to be at 
work, which was so agreeable to his active tempera- 
ment. At Orange, he organized a church and dedi- 
cated their new house of worship. He supplied the 
pulpit for the church at Los Angeles, in January, 1884. 
For seven months his stay was protracted in California, 
with such light labors as were most fitting and agree- 
able to his strength and spirits, but no permanent im- 
provement came to his general health. A brief sojourn 
at Colorado Springs bringing but slight improvement, 
he yielded to the inevitable, and decided to give up his 
charge at Allegheny. His declining strength, the ad- 
vice of his physician, and every indication of providence 
seemed to point to this course, and with great reluc- 
tance he came to the final decision. He dictated the 
following letter, which was forwarded to the church at 



Memoir. 35 

Allegheny, and read on Lord's day, July 27, 1884, at 
the close of the morning service : 

Colorado Springs, Col., ) 
July 15, 1884. ) 
To the Members' of the First Christian Church, 
Allegheny, Pa. 
Dear Brethren-. — I hereby tender my resignation as 
your pastor, said resignation to take effect October 1, 1884. 
I write these words not without tears and feelings of the 
greatest sorrow. The relations that we have sustained 
towards each other as pastor and people for twenty one years 
have been most cordial, friendly and intimate. For your 
sympathy and prayers and kindness during all these years I 
am truly thankful, and shall ever pray for your prosperity 
and happiness. I trust you will have Divine guidance in 
the selection of a successor, and that God will give a pastor 
who will faithfully preach to you the true Gospel of Christ* 
instruct and comfort you, and help you on the way toward 
Heaven, where I hope to meet you all at last. Grace, mercy 
and peace from God the Father and the I^ord Jesus Christ 
be with you all. 

Affectionately yours in Christ, 

Joseph King. 

This resignation was accepted with expressions of 
the deepest sorrow. A suitable preamble and resolu- 
tions, voicing the sentiment of the church, were at once 
adopted and sent to him in reply. Here ended the 
faithful labors of twenty-eight years — twenty-one of 
which had been spent as pastor of the Allegheny 
church. 

On the thirty-first of August, the official board de- 
cided unanimously to recommend W. F. Cowden, of 
Lexington, Ky., to the church as a suitable person to 
succeed Mr. King ; and on the seventh of September 



36 Joseph King. 

following, a call was extended to him by the church, 
which he accepted. 

After visiting friends in the State of Kansas, Mr. 
and Mrs. King sojourned for a while at Eureka Springs, 
Arkansas, where an attack of typhoid fever almost 
terminated his pilgrimage. Recovering from this, in 
May, 1885, they again returned to their quiet home at 
Allegheny, in the spirit of cheerful resignation. Mr. 
King's disease was of a nervous character, which, 
while it greatly impaired his physical energies, left 
his mind unusually active and clear. His interest in 
the great work to which he had consecrated his life had 
never flagged, and how could he now remain a listless 
spectator, while the great throbbing world was active 
around him ? This was his most severe trial. To re- 
lieve the ennui, his pen was kept active. In many re- 
spects, the best work of his life was done during the 
nine years of his retirement from active pastoral duties. 
At least, he spoke through the press to a much larger 
audience and reached a far wider field in his retirement 
than in his active public ministry. 

Joseph King was a pioneer in the organizing and 
consolidating movement that followed the early aggres- 
sive work of the Reformation. Every new people in the 
religious world has passed through a similar experience. 
First the conflict of principles, or the doctrinal age; 
then the period of enterprise and enlarged liberality, or 
the epoch of church building and missionary activity. 
He was in the van of this last period. As much as any 
one else he helped to arouse the enthusiasm that finally 
took on the form of the present hopeful work for 
foreign missions among the Disciples. The following 
extract from the address of Isaac Errett, as president of 



Memoir. 37 

the Foreign Missionary Society, at Cincinnati, Ohio, 
October 23, 1878^ the third anniversary of the society, 
is a just and correct estimate of what he did : "It is 
now four years since the General Convention last assem- 
bled in this city. Perhaps the brightest feature of that 
anniversary was the new interest kindled in behalf of 
foreign missions. Convictions and anxieties which 
some of us had long cherished, then and there found 
utterance and met with such an approval as to lead to 
the incipient steps towards the formation of a Foreign 
Missionary Society. The vigorous address of Joseph 
King, and the special meetings for prayer and con- 
ference which followed its delivery, were not transient 
in their influence. " 

Thomas D. Butler bears testimony to the same effect. 
In a published notice relating to the life and character 
of Mr. King, he says : 

" This hasty sketch would be altogether imperfect and un- 
just to his life record, were I to omit one fact in my own 
knowledge which proved his world-wide sympathy for the 
heathen and his world-wide desire for the kingdom and 
glory of his Master. When the General Christian Missionary 
Society met in the Richmond Street Church, Cincinnati, 
Ohio, October, 1874, we had no missionary in a foreign field, 
we had no "Foreign Missionary Society." This was re- 
gretted, perhaps, almost as far as it was known. The Mis- 
sionary Society then in existence had done some foreign 
work in Jerusalem and Jamaica, and at this convention the 
Christian Women's Board of Missions launched forth upon 
its great work. I can never forget the Foreign Missionary 
sermon which Joseph King delivered early in the sessions of 
that convention. A most powerful impression was made. 
I believe that no previous deliverance of the duty which 
rested upon the church to evangelize the world ever aroused 
the brotherhood so effectively as this sermon did. In fact, it 



38 Joseph King. 

was the trumpet call for the church to undertake the foreign 
missionary work, and the service of Joseph King at that time 
precipitated and fastened the foreign missionary work upon 
the brotherhood. Called meetings were held under the 
same leadership between the regular sessions of the conven- 
tion, in the basement of the church, which were attended by 
many brethren who carried this burden before the Lord, and 
by mutual consultation prepared themselves for some under- 
taking in this direction. So general was the interest excited 
and so determined was the purpose on the part of Joseph 
King and friends, among whom I remember Dr. W. A. Bel. 
ding, that something must be done for the heathen, that an 
official announcement was made by Isaac Brrett, president 
of the General Society, that if the promoters of the foreign 
work would wait awhile longer, the regular board would 
undertake some foreign work during the year. The Foreign 
Society was organized at the ensuing convention in Louis- 
ville, October, 1875." 

An intimation of the valuable contribution he made 
to the missionary work of our people during his de- 
cline is found in the admirable obituary notice pre- 
pared by George Darsie, an extract from which is here 
submitted : 

"As a pastor he was methodical, diligent, watchful, labor- 
ious, faithful, anxious, thorough. Usually a minister excels 
in some one department of his work. Brother King excelled 
in every department. A better preacher it were hard to find. 
A better pastor I never knew. Every detail of the work he 
had well in hand. Nothing suffered neglect or inattention. 

" If indeed any criticism were to be made, it would have 
to be that he spared himself too little, that he was too con- 
scientious, too laborious in the discharge of his heavy and re- 
sponsible duties. Doing the work of at least two men 
through long and wearisome years, no wonder that nature 
sank under the terrible strain, and compelled the abandon- 
ment of his glorious calling when he seemed at the very 



Memoir. 39 

zenith of his usefulness. Oh ! those last seven years, during 
the early part of which, hoping against hope, he sought in 
travel, in balmy climes and in medicinal waters, the restora- 
tion of his shattered nervous system ; during the latter part 
of which, abandoning hope, he calmly, trustingly and 
patiently awaited the end. Grand as were the preceding 
years of his splendid usefulness, I venture that the faith and 
heroism of this gallant soldier of Christ at no time shone 
forth in greater luster than during those last trying years of 
his enforced inactivity. 

" But his life-work had a far wider reach than the special 
fields in which he labored as a minister of Christ. In con- 
nection with the cause of education — as a teacher in his early 
manhood, as a trustee of Bethany College, as a member of 
the Allegheny School Board for seventeen years, and for 
nine years its president — he had an honorable career. As 
an inspiration to young men to enter the Christian ministry, 
his work was not a small one. There are many within my 
own personal knowledge who, like myself, can testify that 
among the causes which led them into this holy work, none 
was more potent than the personal influence of Joseph King. 

" As a contributor to our periodical literature, and specially 
since his retirement from the pulpit, he had another sphere 
of usefulness in which he brought rich profit to many. 

" But it seems to me that in nothing are we, as a religious 
body, more indebted to him than for what he did to awaken 
among us a zeal for foreign missions. 

" How mightily he moved on the conscience of our people 
by his noble address on this subject before the General Con- 
vention at Cincinnati in 1874, all who heard him and all who 
afterwards read the address in the " Christian Quarterly" 
will readily bear witness. ( The thrilling appeal he made for 
the immediate inauguration of the foreign work bore prompt 
and splendid fruit. Our Foreign Society was organized the 
following year. And a few years later, when that society had 
established needed and prosperous missions in England, 
France and Denmark, but none as yet in the far-off land of 
heathen darkness, with what telling power did he lift in our 



40 Joseph King. 

ears the ringing watch-cry, since so gloriously answered, 
" On to heathen lands ! " He believed with all his heart that 
the Great Commission meant exactly what it said, and so to 
the utmost of his ability did he plead for the unevangelized 
regions of earth. The future historian who shall record 
the humble beginning of our foreign work will make large 
and honorable mention of the name and services of Joseph 
King." 

He had hoped to see established among the Dis- 
ciples that which had been so helpful to other denomi- 
nations in their missionary work, viz., a monthly con- 
cert of prayer. To this end he wrote and earnestly 
labored. Many godly men and women whom he had 
never met in the flesh thanked him by letter for the 
interest he had taken in this matter, and begged him 
to continue to urge it upon the attention of our people. 
He did so through the columns of the religious press, 
but his ideal has not yet been fully realized. The fol- 
lowing extracts set forth the plan he was so anxious to 
have adopted : 

" The object in view in holding monthly services of prayer 
for missions may be said to be fourfold, (i) To bring befoie 
the people the moral condition of the heathen nations, and 
of a lost world, our obligations and responsibilities in refer- 
ence to them, and their claims upon us, upon our time, our 
sympathy and our means. (2) To acquaint the people with 
the latest missionary intelligence from both the home and 
foreign field, giving facts, figures and incidents illustra- 
tive of the state and progress of the work. These can be 
gleaned from missionary periodicals and from the letters of 
missionaries, who should be solicited to give minute and 
definite information concerning their labors in the gospel. 
(3) To enforce upon the consciences of the disciples of Jesus 
the duty and privilege of helping forward this grand move- 
ment for the world's evangelization, by personal devotedness 



Memoir. 41 

and cheerful offerings. (4) To offer up to the God of mis- 
sions devout thanksgiving and praise for the unspeakable 
joy and privilege of being co-workers with his Son Christ 
Jesus in the redemption of the world ; and special earnest 
prayer for his benediction and favor to rest on all missions, 
missionaries and missionary societies ; for the speedy com- 
ing of the time promised when Christ, the one divine King, 
shall reign in all hearts and over all lives, and when the 
heathen nations shall be given to him for his inheritance, 
and the uttermost part of the earth for his possession. 
What a subject for human thought and inquiry ! What a 
theme for study, investigation and prayer ! The progress of 
the glorious gospel ! The extension of the kingdom of 
heaven ! The increase of the word of God! The exaltation 
of the Son of God in the hearts of men ! The overthrow 
of evil, and the establishment of righteousness, peace and 
truth in the earth. The moral conquest and occupation of 
the world for Christ ! These are things on account of which 
the angels of God in heaven rejoice. To think about them, 
to muse upon them, and especially to toil for their accom. 
plishment and full realization, how it broadens the intellect, 
enlarges the heart, ennobles the character, developes the 
sympathies and benevolent feelings of our natures, and 
makes life a grand and continuous opportunity for self- 
denying service of God and man! When the one great 
thought of the world's redemption by Christ takes full posses- 
sion of a man's soul, he is at once lifted thereby out of narrow- 
mindedness, bigotry and denominationalism, is filled with a 
new life, and rises into a new atmosphere — the boundless 
atmosphere of the divine love. He is no longer straitened 
in his affections. He is Christ's freeman, and regards him- 
self as one of many fellow workers for a grand consumma- 
tion in the world-wide establishment of the Messiah's king, 
dom. 

Our contributions for the maintenance of both domestic 
and foreign missions, compared with our numbers, our re- 
sources and responsibilities, are indeed meager, and amply 



42 Joseph King. 

sustain the truth of the complaint. It is useless, however, 
to complain. Better apply the remedy, and begin at once — 
a remedy which, in our judgment, is five-fold; and, if faith- 
fully used, will in time prove effectual: 

(i) Instruction, information, missionary intelligence- 
The masses are ignorant and need light. Especially do they 
need instruction in the first and fundamental principle of all 
missions, " that upon every disciple is laid the duty of per- 
sonal labor for the lost." He must either go or send. If he 
can not himself go, or is not willing to go, then is he bound 
to aid in supporting those who do go, and in Great Britain 
and the United States three thousand young men and women 
to-day stand ready to go to the foreign field, and will go 
if the means are furnished and the way opened. 

(2) Earnest preaching — preaching that is direct, pungent, 
incisive ; that brings men and women not only face to face 
with God, and duty and responsibility, with heaven and hell 
and eternity, but which lays the inspired Word of God, with 
all the weight and solemnity of its divine authority, upon 
every conscience, making the people feel that they must obey 
Christ's final and most authoritative command upon pain of 
eternal condemnation! An earnest missionary man in the 
pulpit is sure to make an earnest missionary people. When 
Judson was debating in his own mind the question of going \ 
to India, the One lawgiver came to him, and he said, " In 
the presence of such a command I have nothing to do but to 
obey." Obey he did, and marvelous in the world's eyes have 
been the results. 

(3) Prayer, fervent prayer, for consecrated men and women, 
for money to send them abroad, and for the world's conver- 
sion. How little of importunate supplication is there for 
these! How straitened we are in our petitions! How little 
enlargement of the heart! How feebly do we pray for the 
universal reign of Christ and the coming of his kingdom in 
all lands! 

(4) Frequent and regular calls for missionary offerings. 
Ask the people to give, and form in them the habit of giv- 



Memoir. 43 

ing. This habit will prove a corrective antidote to selfish- 
ness, and do much towards eradicating from the heart that 
most seductive of all sins, covetousness. 

(5) The education and training of the children in our 
churches, Sunday-schools and families, in missions, and in 
all that pertains to mission work and service. This, we' 
think, will in the near future prove to be the most efficient of 
all the items to the above named remedy for the lack of a 
missionary spirit. 

It is our heart's desire and prayer to God that at the annu- 
al conventions soon to be held a committee consisting of at 
least one member from each of the three missionary societies 
shall be appointed, whose duty it shall be to prepare a 
monthly programme for a missionary monthly service of in- 
struction and prayer for missions. The programme might 
be published in our religious papers, and ministers, elders 
and churches urged to use it. Shall a committee for such a 
purpose be appointed ? Who will see that it is ? May he 
who inspires every good thought, and who leads his people 
in ways of usefulness, as well as in the paths of righteous- 
ness, inspire in the hearts of our large and growing church 
membership greater zeal, greater liberality, and more earnest- 
ness in the cause of Christian missions. 

Allegheny City, Pa. 

From the time that his resignation took effect, 
October I, 1884, until his death, he was quite helpless, 
and during the last two years almost entirely so. In 
all this time no one was able to be of much service to 
him but Mrs. King. There was scarcely a moment of 
the day or night that she was not ready to anticipate 
his lightest wish. Her gentle touch, her cheerful spirit 
and her sweet disposition soothed and comforted him 
in that long and dreary period of waiting and suffering, 
as no words can describe. In all the years of their 
association, he never heard an impatient word from her 



44 Joseph King. 

lips. The affection he had for her, and the satisfaction 
that it gave her to minister to him in his great afflic- 
tion can be better imagined than described. 

The following words, written by him on the fly leaf 
of his Bible, are a worthy tribute of his love and grati-. 
tude: "The kindness, patience and devotion of my 
precious wife during my long invalidism are, and have 
been, without limit. In more than twenty-four years I 
have not heard her speak an impatient or unkind word. 
It is well, and a great consolation, to know from the 
word of God, that invisible angels attend us ; it is better, 
at least for physical comfort, that visible angels wait on 
and minister to us." In August, 1891, Mrs. King 
wrote: "When I think of all that Mr. King did for 
the cause of missions, when mere living was agony to 
him, I am amazed. There was so much he wanted to 
do for Christ before going home to be with him for- 
ever. " 

On the twenty-fourth of June, 1887, she wrote: "I 
have a great many letters to write just now, as it is the 
end of a quarter in our mission work. Two hundred 
and thirty-eight bands are a goodly number to look 
after, but it is very pleasant work, and has been a great 
comfort to Mr. King in his weakness and suffering. 
Is it not a miracle that his mind is so clear, and that 
he can remember what he has read, especially the 
Scriptures, better than he used to. He says that his 
knowledge of the Greek and Hebrew Scriptures, as well 
as English, are a great comfort to him now ; but he 
can not take up a book and read. I read to him nearly 
all he gets out of books and papers. We try to be 
cheerful, and not burthen others with our sorrow." 
Mrs. King acted as amanuensis for him, and the task of 



Memoir. 4$ 

attending to his correspondence, which was always 
heavy, in addition to her own duties as manager of the 
children's work of the Christian Woman's Board of Mis- 
sions, was enough to tax the energies of the most robust 
constitution. 

It is impossible to do justice to the life, character, 
and noble services of Joseph King in a brief memoir 
like this. Should we seek for his most marked traits 
we would doubtless find them in the simplicity of 
his life, his love of nature, and his sympathy with all 
that is good. His tastes were of the most refined and 
exalted kind. His companionship was most inspiring 
and helpful. Unconsciously people were drawn to him, 
and led to imitate and love him. In a marked degree 
he had that strange, indefinable something that is called 
presence. It seemed to spring alike from his natural 
dignity and the deep earnestness of his soul. It was 
so striking that it hushed to silence all rude and boister- 
ous conduct, and was a continual menace to coarseness 
and boorishness. He was self-reliant, patient, methodi- 
cal, diligent, thorough, independent, and he had great 
decision of character. As a preacher he was scriptural, 
didactic, clear, practical, systematic, earnest, heart- 
searching and devout. He had but little of the creative 
faculty. His imagination was of small range, and he 
knew nothing of the arts of pantomime. 

His powers of appropriation were most admirable. 
Everything he acquired was fused in the crucible of his 
own intense nature, and recast in a mould peculiarly 
his own. His great moral earnestness, conscientious- 
ness, profound faith in the eternal verities, and his 
enrapturing conception of Christ and his divine perfec- 
tions, coupled with a lofty ideal of the Christian char- 



46 Joseph King. 

acter, gained for his preaching an audience that was 
strangely responsive and plastic. His intense loyalty 
to Christ and his church, the simplicity of his style, 
the gentleness of his spirit, the vigor of his intellect, 
and the clearness of his utterances made him an orator 
of no ordinary rank. 

The penetration of his voice, the distinctness of his 
enunciation, and the richness of his tones, enabled him 
to be easily heard in all parts of the largest buildings. 
He was an elocutionist of fine accomplishments, and 
his voice never struck an uncertain key or caused an 
unpleasant sensation. He was a nervous speaker, and 
his manner was animated even to the verge of excite- 
ment, yet he was always self-possessed. He seldom 
read his discourses, yet he always had at hand full and 
well arranged notes. All attempts at oratorical display 
and stately declamation he studiously avoided. He 
approached the end of life with a serenity and resigna- 
tion that were truly beautiful. Notwithstanding his 
intense suffering, his spirit was calm and strangely 
patient. With a smile of contentment he would say 
to his friends: "I am gradually growing weaker each 
day, and I shall go to sleep after while, like a little 
child." 

One of the last things he said was: "Tell Brother 
Richardson not to talk about me; but to tell the people 
about the Saviour whom I have tried to serve and who 
did so much for me." During his last illness he would 
send messages to his friends, requesting them not to 
pray for his life to be prolonged. 

His last request was that his Greek Testament, 
which had been his constant companion for so many 
years, should be placed in his hand when he was laid 



Memoir. 47 

at rest. It was in the closing hours of the Lord's day, 
May II, 1890, that his gentle spirit took its flight. 

The fragrance of spring, the happy release from 
suffering, the sweet influences of a noble life, the mem- 
ories of loved ones waiting on the other side, and the 
loneliness that was felt in this bereavement, all come 
crowding into our hearts, as we now take leave of our 
dear friend. The funeral services, on the following 
Tuesday, were simple, brief, and in keeping with Mr. 
King's ideas of propriety. W. F. Richardson, the 
pastor, assisted by a number of ministers, spoke words 
of sympathy to the large audience that assembled at the 
church. Then came the long procession of friends to 
take leave of their old pastor. The aged, the young, 
the strong and the infirm — persons from far and near, 
blended their tears together as they laid him to rest in 
the beautifal cemetery of Uniondale, near the spot 
where reposes the sacred dust of many with whom he 
long served in the Master's vineyard. 

Over on the wall, not far from the desk where he so 
earnestly and faithfully preached the Gospel of Christ 
to the people who thronged to hear him, his friends 
placed a marble tablet bearing this inscription: 

$n Pcmottj of J$o«pl) ftittg. 

THE FAITHPUX PASTOR OP THIS CONGREGATION FOR 
TWENTY-ONE YEARS. 

" They that turn many to righteousness shall shine as the stars for- 
ever and ever." 

1863. 1884. 



SKRMONS 



THE GREAT GIVER. 

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, 
and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is 
no variableness, neither shadow of turning (James i. 17). 

Right views of God and scriptural conceptions oi 
the divine character, attributes and perfections, lie at 
the basis of all true religion, and are essential to the 
formation of the Christian character. We can not intel- 
ligently obey, nor can we walk with, have communion 
and fellowship with a God of whom we are ignorant. 
Of the Gentile nations the apostle says : " They know 
not God." It is written in the prophets, "The people 
perish for lack of knowledge. " Hence, knowledge of 
the one living and true God, of his will, character and 
attributes, is the first requisite in the elevation and 
salvation of man. Just before he went into the garden 
of Gethsemane for the last time, our Saviour lifted his 
eyes to heaven, and offered the prayer recorded in the 
seventeenth chapter of John, in which he says : "This 
is the life eternal, that they know thee the only true 
God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent." And 
the apostle Peter says: " Grace and peace be multiplied 
to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our 
Lord." The Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of wisdom 

and of revelation in the full knowledge of Christ. 
49 



50 Sermons. 

Knowledge, therefore, is most important — most neces- 
sary to our salvation, to our enjoyment of God, and to 
our preparation for eternal union with him in heaven. 
The more we know of God, the better we understand 
his will, his character and purposes of grace, his merci- 
ful dealings with us and with all men. The clearer our 
perceptions of his attributes and perfections as they are 
manifested in the works of creation, providence and 
redemption, the more profoundly will we adore him, 
the more perfectly will we love him, and the more 
heartily will we obey him. In the text God is desig- 
nated as the Father of the lights. By " the lights " is 
meant, I think, the light-giving bodies of the universe, 
the heavenly bodies, the sun, the moon and stars which 
shine in the nocturnal heavens, and which appear like 
lamps suspended in the sky. God is their Father. The 
word " Father" is here used in the sense of author, 
cause, source, or creator. God made them, called them 
into being, gave them their existence, subjected them 
to law, and causes them to shine with such brilliancy 
and splendor. God is the Father of our Lord Jesus 
Christ. Jesus addresses him as such, saying. * ' Father, 
the hour has come ; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also 
may glorify thee." "I ascend to my Father." He is 
also our Father — the Father of all Christians, who are 
his children. "The Father of glory," i. e., the author 
or source of that glory which we are to inherit in the 
world to come. Various are the relations which God 
sustains to the universe and to the creatures that he 
has made, and endowed with intelligence and the 
power of thought. And in one or more of these rela- 
tions might we consider him. We might consider him, 
for instance, as Creator, Maker of all things in heaven 



The Great Giver. 51 

and on the earth ; as Preserver, Upholder of all things ; 
as Redeemer, Deliverer; as Almighty King; as the 
Sovereign of the vast universe ; as moral Governor of 
men and angels ; as final Judge ; as Father, Friend, 
Benefactor. But to-day, let us pass by all these, and 
consider God as a Giver, a great, bounteous and con- 
stant Giver, "Do not err, my beloved brethren. 
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, 
coming down from the Father of lights." I trust we 
may find our meditation of him in the character and 
light of a giver as sweet and edifying to our souls. 
What does God give to us ? Everything without excep- 
tion. What have we that we did not receive as a gift 
from God ? Nothing, absolutely nothing. ' ' His off- 
spring are we ; for in him we live and move and have 
our being ; and he himself gives to all life and breath, 
and all things." He is the former of our bodies, the 
Father, author, or giver of our spirits. Life itself, 
with all its wondrous possibilities, is his gift. Tie gave 
us reason, intelligence, will, judgment, understanding, 
conscience, the power to think, intellectual faculties, a 
moral nature, a spirit made in his own image ; all these 
are the gifts of our God to man. But as related to our 
redemption, as necessary thereto, and as promotive 
thereof, there are five great divine gifts which I ask you 
briefly to think about and consider. His Word, His 
Son, His Spirit, The Resurrection, Eternal Life. 
His word for our instruction, his Son for our redemp- 
tion, his Spirit for our sanctification, the resurrection 
preparatory to our being manifested with Christ in glory, 
and everlasting life in the world to come. What gifts 
can be compared with these ? Who can estimate their 
worth ? As Solomon says of wisdom, ' ' Their price is 



52 Sermons. 

above rubies ; M and all the things that may be desired are 
not to be compared to them. In the third chapter of 
Romans the apostle asks : i * What then is the advan 
tage of the Jew?" Wherein was he more highly 
favored than the gentile ? * ' Much ; every way ; chiefly, 
because to him were committed the oracles of God." 
In the prophets it is said, God did not deal with any 
other nation as he did with the Jews. He not only de- 
livered them from bondage in Egypt, he gave them his 
word, his statutes, and judgments, that they might know 
his will and obey it. We have the entire volume of 
inspiration, the inspired writings of Moses, and the 
teachings of Jesus and the apostles, line upon line, 
precept upon precept, fact, command, promise, exhor- 
tation and admonition. This word of grace given us 
does for us three things: it enlightens, instructs, 
teaches us; it sanctifies us; it comforts us. "The 
entrance of God's word giveth light." The word of 
God is our great, perfect and divinely inspired in- 
structor, teacher, enlightener. Jesus is, indeed, the 
teacher come from God. He teaches through his 
word, and the example he left behind him in his benefi- 
cent life. He is not here in person ; but he speaks to 
us in his word; "Sanctify them through the truth; 
thy word is the truth." Then how much we need 
comfort while in this vale of tears. Where shall we 
find comfort but in the promises of God? The Psalm- 
ist says: "Thy word is my comfort in affliction." 
' ' Whatever things were written aforetime, were for our 
instruction, that we through patience and consolation 
of the Scriptures may have hope. Again, we need 
more than instruction or enlightenment. To instruct 
us as to the divine will, and as to our moral condition 



The Great Giver. 53 

and state in the sight of God, and leave us without a 
Redeemer, were only to deepen our misery, to heighten 
our guilt, and leave us helpless and in despair. There- 
fore, we need a Deliverer, one mighty to save, to rescue 
us, and lift us from the bondage and thralldom of sin ; 
one who can uphold and maintain the authority and 
majesty of the divine law and government, and who can 
at the same time come near to us, deliver us from the 
pit of misery, atone for our sins, bear away our guilt, 
and lift us into communion with God. Hence, the 
Son of God was given for our redemption, to set us 
free from the curse of the law, and restore in us the 
divine image. 

The great distinguishing peculiarity of Christianity 
is this : it is a system, or scheme oPtedemption by the 
death and sacrifice of Jesus the Christ. Not a system 
of moral philosophy, or of ethical culture, or of moral 
development, but of redemption, deliverance from the 
power and guilt of sin by the mediation, death and 
resurrection of the Lord Messiah. He came to our 
rescue ; he interposed on our behalf, and paid the debt 
that we might go free. It is written : * ■ Unto us a 
child is born, unto us a Son is given ; " " God so loved 
the world that he gave his only begotten Son." 
"Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift!" 
Through this Son of God given, what blessings come 
to us. A perfect rule of duty ; a perfect example ; a 
revelation of God's true character ; an atonement for 
sin, and the hope of immortality by his resurrection. 
His word is a perfect rule of duty. What lesson in 
morals and religion, what principle of truth or righteous- 
ness, does man need to guide him through the mazy 
labyrinths of this life, that is not found in the teaching 



54 Sermons. 

of Jesus ? We can truthfully say of him what we can 
say of no other teacher, he made no mistakes in his 
teaching. And his example is perfect. It is always 
safe to follow him. And further, he revealed the 
Father. ' ' The only begotten Son who is in the bosom 
of the Father, he hath revealed him." To Thomas, 
Jesus said : "lam the way, and the truth, and the life. 
No one cometh unto the Father but by me," He came 
forth from the Father as his representative to the world. 
"He and the Father are one." ''He is the image of 
the invisible God. " He also bore our sins in his own 
body on the tree, thereby making an atonement for 
them, and opening up a way whereby the love, mercy 
and salvation of God might flow freely down to guilty 
man. And by his resurrection he abolished death, and 
threw wide open to man the gates of immortality. 
These rich blessings come to believers through the Son 
given. But instruction and redemption do not exhaust 
our needs. These are great mercies flowing to us, but 
we need more. We are weak, and need strength, 
power and an enduement of heavenly might that we 
may be successful in fighting the good fight of faith. 
In other words, we need renewal and sanctifi cation, 
that we may enter the kingdom of heaven. Hence, to 
meet this want, the Holy Spirit is given to those who 
believe on Christ, obey the truth and ask for him in 
prayer. How perfectly suited to man's needs is the 
great scheme of salvation ! Enlightenment, instruction, 
knowledge through the word — a priceless gift; re- 
demption from sin and death by the Son — an unspeak- 
able gift; strength, power and holiness, through the 
indwelling Spirit. If our Lord were on earth, as he 
was once, and you could see, hear and follow him as 



The Great Giver. 55 

did the disciples, you would doubtless esteem it a great 
privilege ; but it is better that he should be absent in 
heaven, and send the Spirit, than that he should be 
here, and the Spirit not be given. He himself teaches 
this. To. the disciples he said: " It is expedient for 
you that I go away ; for if I go not away the Comforter 
will not come unto you." The Spirit is, in some sense, 
omnipresent. He is given to each one, each disciple, 
each faithful follower of the Master ; and various are the 
offices he performs on behalf of those in whose hearts 
he dwells. He guides into all the truth ; he glorifies 
Christ. Furthermore, no one can be perfectly happy 
in this mortal body. It is, indeed, the temple of the 
Holy Spirit ; we are to present it to God, a living sacri- 
fice, and with it we are to glorify God ; its members 
are the members of Christ ; yet it is a source of much 
frailty, weakness and imperfection to us; it has appe- 
tites and passions that often lead men astray; is subject 
to sickness, disease and death ; it is mortal and cor. 
ruptible ; but our God has promised to give his people 
a new body, glorious and glorified, immortal, spiritual 
and incorruptible, a body in all respects like the glori- 
ous body of Christ in heaven. This resurrection body 
for which we wait is a gift ; it will be bestowed on us 
in the resurrection at the last day. ' ' Thanks be to 
God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus 
Christ." The victory to be • given is the resurrection 
which will free us for evermore from the consequences 
of sin, and consummate our salvation. This is the 
revelation of the sons of God for which the earnest 
longing of the creation is waiting. This is the adoption, 
the redemption of our body. This is the grace that is 
to be brought unto us at the revelation of Jesus 



56 Sermons. 

Christ. This is deliverance from the bondage of cor- 
ruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 
This is that which will make us like the Saviour in our 
entire personality. This, with the judgment that shall 
succeed, is the last act in the great drama of human 
redemption. A pure spirit in a glorified body ! Blessed 
consummation in the hope of which we wait ! And 
beyond, everlasting life, eternal glory, heaven with all 
its beauty, joy and perfection. This also is God's gift 
to his children. ' ' The wages of sin is death ; but the 
gift of God is eternal life." " This is the promise that 
he promised us, the life everlasting." Glory, honor, 
peace, full enjoyment, holy bliss, to all eternity ! What 
a hope ! What a prospect ! ' ' And what in yonder 
realms above is ransomed man ordained to be ?" How 
munificent is the grace of our God ! Remember these 
five great gifts, and give him praise therefor ; his word, 
his Son, his Spirit, the resurrection in the likeness of 
his Son, and the life everlasting. 

From the subject thus briefly presented, we may 
draw and impress these two lessons, (i) Gratitude and 
praise to the giver. Let us gratefully accept the gifts, 
and evermore adore and praise our God for them. 
(2) Imitate the giver. Seek to be like God in this re- 
spect. Be a giver, a constant, cheerful, willing giver. 
As he gives to you, do you give to him ? How beauti- 
ful as well as impressive are the words of King David ! 
After making a munificent gift for the building of the 
temple, after giving out of his own private fortune the 
sum of " three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of 
Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver," 
a sum which would reckon up into hundreds of thou- 
sands of dollars in our currency, he says: " But who 



The Great Giver. 57 

am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to 
offer so willingly after this sort?" Give love, give 
sympathy, give strength, give help, give money, give 
yourself to others in doing good to them, that you may 
know the blessedness of giving. 

When you think of God, when you consider the 
divine character and meditate thereon, what is there in 1 
it which impresses you most? Is it not his gifts, their 
number and greatness ? To me, that which most dis- 
tinguishes God is the number, variety, and greatness 
of his gifts. And so that which most clearly proves 
men to be his children is a like spirit in them. ' - God 
loves a cheerful giver." 



THE GREAT SERVANT. 

Ye call me Master and Lord : and ye say well ; for so I 
am. 

If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your 
feet ; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. 

For I have given you an example, that ye should do as 
I have done to you (John xiii. 13-15). 

To-day I select an instance recorded only by the 
apostle John, which portrays, in a clear and forcible 
manner, the character, or some of the mental traits or 
characteristics, of our gracious Redeemer, the adorable 
Son of God, whom to know, with the Father who sent 
him, is eternal life. I refer to washing the feet of his 
disciples, an act that exhibits his wondrous conde- 
scension. With the apostle Paul, we should all pray 
that we may know the Christ ; know him in his con- 
descension, grace, loveliness, majesty and power ; know 
him in that compassion that goes to the greatest depths 
of human want, suffering, misery, degradation and 
woe ; in that love and mercy which know no bounds, 
in that sympathy which is exhaustless ; and, with the 
great apostle, we should account all things to be loss 
for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus 
our Lord, and, with him, be willing to suffer the loss of 
all things, and account them refuse, that we may gain 
Christ, be found in him, and know him in his true 
character, in the great objects and purposes of his mis- 
sion. Alexander Carson wrote a book having this 
title: "The Knowledge of Jesus the Most Excellent of 

the Sciences." There is no knowledge so necessary to 

58 



The Great Servant. 59 

our happiness and well-being, or at all to be compared 
with the knowledge of our Saviour — knowledge of his 
life and character, of his redemptive work, of his com- 
passion toward the lost, sinful and perishing, and his 
power and willingness to save them. What knowledge 
is comparable to this ? I repeat a sentence, which 1 
quoted in an evening discourse a few weeks since from 
George Macdonald, who says : ' ' The longer I live the 
more clearly do I see, the more firmly am I convinced, 
and the more fully do I believe, that the great business 
of this life is to know and understand Jesus the Christ." 
I subscribe to that declaration. We should all be pupils 
in Christ's school, learning from him who is meek and 
lowly in heart the way of righteousness, learning the 
practice of all that is good, noble, excellent, praise- 
worthy, and beneficial to man, and that is an honor to 
God. And further, it is the office of the ministry, the 
special work of the preacher, so to interpret the Christ, 
so to preach, proclaim, announce him, and set him 
forth before the people, in his life, spirit, mission, 
character and claims, in the greatness, sufficiency and 
perfection of his redemptive work, that they shall see 
him more plainly, be drawn toward him, and be enlisted 
in his service. What are the sources of our knowledge 
concerning the Christ? Our answer is, the gospel nar- 
ratives. They tell us who he is, viz. : the Christ the 
Son of the living God, full of grace and truth. They 
inform us as to his claims. He is the prophet like 
unto Moses — the great prophet of the Messianic age, 
the world's infallible teacher ; the high priest whose 
blood atones for human sin and transgression ; the 
gracious, but mighty King to reign over us ; the Won- 
derful, the Counselor, the mighty God, the Father of 



60 Sermons. 

the everlasting age, the Prince of peace, upon whose 
shoulder is the government ; the Shiloh of whom Jacob 
spoke ; the Prophet raised up, of whom Moses wrote : 
the King of glory, the Shepherd, the Desire of all 
nations, the Way, the Truth, the Resurrection, the 
Life, the Friend, the Brother, the Redeemer. His 
wisdom as a teacher is shown in his Parables,, and in 
the Sermon on the Mount, which exhibit a breadth 
and vastness of knowledge, a comprehensive grasp of 
moral and spiritual truth, a simplicity, mental clear- 
sightedness and spirituality of mind and an intimate 
acquaintance with the great realities of the unseen 
world, which never before and never since have been 
manifested by any one. His tenderness and sympathy 
for his disciples are shown in his consolatory discourse 
spoken to them on the evening of the day before he 
suffered as recorded in the Gospel by John. His 
power over death, over nature and all the strength of 
the adversary, is seen in his miracles. Sometimes 
power, majesty, and sympathy, or tenderness, are 
manifested at the same time, as in the miracle at Nain, 
the resurrection of the young man, the only son of a 
widowed mother. 

Behold our Saviour ! Compassionate, sympathetic, 
tender, yet having power over death ! In him there is 
a union of gentleness, compassionate regard for the 
sufferings and woes of men, and majesty, almighty power 
— a power stronger than that of death. His teaching and 
the events of his life show us his character, and should be 
studied with the closest attention if we would know the 
Lord Christ. 

The incident, in the narration of which the text is 
a part, shows us another beautiful trait in our Re 



The Great Servant. 6i 

deemer's character. "And before the feast of the 
Passover, Jesus knowing that his hour was come that 
he should depart out of the world unto the Father, he 
did this act of humility to set them an example. " Faith- 
ful was he to the last in his affection for his disciples. 
He knew their blindness, and their approaching denial 
of him. Danger and death were impending over him. 
He foresaw the perfidy of Judas, yet continued to 
manifest his affection for the disciples, and thought less 
of his own approaching sufferings than of the good of 
others, so pure and refined was his self-forgetting, self- 
denying spirit. 

"And supper being served, knowing that the 
Father has given all things into his hands, and that he 
came out from God, and is going to God, he rises from 
supper and laid aside his garments ; and took a towel 
and girded himself." 

"One who had previously bathed needed, on 
taking his place at table, only to have his feet washed, 
which had been soiled by going out, since the open 
sandals did not protect them from the dust." A 
traveler in India says : ' ' The full meaning of our 
Lord's words, as recorded in John xiii. 10, I never 
understood until I beheld the better sort of natives re- 
turn home after performing their customary ablutions. 
As they return to their habitations barefoot, they 
necessarily contract in their progress some portion of 
dust on their feet ; and this is universally the case, 
however nigh their dwelling may be to the river side. 
When, therefore, they return, the first thing they do is 
to mount a low stool, and pour a small vessel of water 
over their feet to cleanse them from the soil they may 
have contracted in their journey homewards. If they 



62 Sermons. 

are of the higher order of society, a servant performs it 
for them, and then they are clean every whit." 

1 * When therefore he had washed their feet, he took 
his garments, and reclining again at table, he said to 
them, Know ye what I have done to you ? Ye call 
me the Teacher and the Master ; and ye say well, for 
so I am." Now, what do we learn from this act? 

(i) The great condescension of our Saviour. To get a 
true idea as to the extent of this condescension, you 
must consider what is said of the greatness of him who 
performed the deed. In the third verse there are three 
statements which show this greatness, (a) He came 
out from God. He came forth from the Father. He 
is divine. He is of heavenly origin. His rank is above 
that of men and of angels, (b) The Father has given 
all things into his hands. He resigned to his Son the 
whole great work of redemption, (c) He is going to 
God, from whom he came. He was about to be re- 
ceived up on high and crowned with glory and honor. 
He was on the eve of being glorified, receiving all 
authority in heaven and on earth. Now consider how 
great Jesus was, how superlatively great, yet he washed 
the feet of his disciples. How condescending and how 
marvelous was he in his condescension ! It is the 
wonder of angels, 

(2) By this lowly act of service he gave his followers 
an example. "If I then, the Master and Teacher, 
wash your feet, you also ought to wash one another's 
feet." I do not understand that our Saviour here in- 
tended to establish a perpetual rite, as some have con- 
tended, and as is still practiced in Roman Catholic 
countries. It was not to be erected into a church 
ordinance. The apostles did not enjoin feet-washing 



The Great Servant. 63 

upon the churches as a thing they must do by the au- 
thority of Christ. It is classed among good works, and 
was an act of service which at times it was very proper 
and necessary to perform on others' behalf. We learn 
from the gospel of Luke, that, at this very time, there 
arose a contention among the disciples, which of them 
should be accounted the greatest. They understood 
not the nature of his Kingdom ; they thought it a 
temporal kingdom, and that positions would be occu- 
pied by different men. They were guilty of ill-timed 
and ambitious rivalry ; and to rebuke them, Jesus per- 
formed this symbolical act, rendered this humble serv- 
ice, and, by what he did, set them an example. The 
office of washing their feet was fitted to soften and 
refine their dispositions, and to infuse gentleness, 
humility, condescension, and brotherly love into their 
hearts, which had been puffed up by worldly pride and 
ambition in the vain hope of soon being the chief coun- 
selors of a splendid temporal Messiah. One beauti- 
fully says : 

" And dost thou deign, my blessed Lord, 
Arrayed in power and love divine, 
Thus humbly to enforce thy word, 
And let thy meekness foster mine? 

"May thy meek spirit far remove 

From my frail heart insensate pride ! 

And grant my days, with humble love 
To God and man, in peace to glide." 

(3) We may learn from this act of our Saviour, the 
dignity of service. The Messiah is our great Exemplar 
in this. How important that we should learn it ! We 
place too low an estimate on doing good to our fellow- 



64 Sermons. 

men. There is more in this than some of us have ever 
dreamed of. Our great Redeemer is called the Servant 
of the Father. He served his Father by doing good to 
man. "He went about doing good," healing the sick, 
and relieving those oppressed by Satan. His was a 
beneficent life ; it was full of good works. 

No act of service to others is to be regarded as mean 
or unworthy. " It was by doing good, and by con- 
descending to men of low estate, that the divine humil- 
ity and meekness of Christ eminently appeared." No 
one before him had ever been so beneficent, so humble, 
so given to good works. His followers have yet to 
learn, in a great measure, this beautiful lesson, so 
touchingly enforced, not by feeble words, but by a liv- 
ing act. We must learn to forget ourselves in doing 
good to man, in aiding, instructing, and sympathizing 
with the poor and afflicted, and in performing the low- 
liest offices of brotherly love and mercy. What is re- 
ligion ? A very different thing from what many people 
imagine. According to the apostle James, it consists 
in two things : (a) in purity, (ti) in kind deeds and 
beneficent acts for others' good. " Pure religion and 
undefiled before our God and Father is this ; to visit 
the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep 
himself unspotted from the world. " l * Whoever has the 
world's sustenance, and sees his brother having need, 
and shuts up his compassion from him, how doth the 
love of God abide in him?" If we do not good to 
man, we love not God. Some one says, "The love of 
the Lord and the love of man is one." The beloved 
disciple teaches that doctrine. "This commandment 
we have from him, that he who loves God love also his 
brother." Love him in deed and in truth, i. e., in 



The Great Servant. _ 65 

doing him good, in rendering him any service he may- 
need that is in our power. 

"So let our lips and lives express 
The holy gospel we profess; 
So let our works and virtues shine, 
To prove the doctrine all divine. 

" Thus shall we best proclaim abroad 
The honors of our Saviour God; 
When his salvation reigns within, 
And grace subdues the power of sin." 

Why are so many people unhappy and discontented ? 
They have health, and wealth enough to make them 
comfortable, and to lift them above the fear of want ; 
yet they are not truly happy. The secret of happiness 
is in being good, and doing good ; in living for others, 
and in rendering them essential service. Tennyson, in 
a poem called Lady Clara Vere de Vere, describes a 
healthy and wealthy, but unhappy woman. The daugh- 
ter of a hundred earls, she was not one to be desired. 

"I know you, Clara Vere de Vere; 

You pine among your halls and towers ; 
The languid light of your proud eyes 

Is wearied of the rolling hours : 
In glowing health, in boundless wealth, 

Yet sickening of a vague disease, 
You know so ill to deal with time, 

You needs must play such pranks as these. 

" Clara, Clara Vere de Vere, 

If time be heavy on your hands, 
Are there no beggars at your gate, 
Nor any poor about your lands ? 



66 Sermons. 

O teach the orphan boy to read, 
Or teach the orphan girl to sew ; 

Pray Heaven for a human heart, 
And let the foolish yeoman go." 

Try to make others happy by unselfish service. Do 
them good. Diffuse all around you sunshine, gladness, 
good-cheer, joy and peace, and the hope of heaven will 
fill your soul. 



THE SAVING NAME. 

This is the stone which was set at nought of your build- 
ers' which is become the head of the corner. 

Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is 
none other name under heaven given among men, whereby 
we must be saved (Acts iv. n, 12). 

Eighteen hundred and fifty-two years ago last June, 
in Jerusalem, the city where the prophets perished and 
the Son of God was crucified, and in that particular 
chamber of the temple which was named Gazith, these 
words were spoken by the apostle Peter, in the pres. 
ence and hearing of the Sanhedrim, before whom he 
and John were arraigned. The Sanhedrim was a coun- 
cil composed of seventy-one men, seventy members and 
a president, and was the supreme council, the highest 
ecclesiastical and judicial tribunal in the Jewish na- 
tion. Its powers embraced all matters, civil as well as 
religious. Persons accused, against whom charges 
were preferred of either a civil or religious nature, 
were brought before this council and tried. Its deci- 
sions, like those of the Supreme Court of the United 
States, were final ; they admitted of no appeal. In all 
matters connected with religion this court was the 
supreme arbiter, besides its jurisdiction in criminal 
cases/ 

Before this influential body, two men who had been 
fishermen on the Sea of Galilee, now apostles engaged 
in the work given them to do by their Master, who had 

gone into heaven and was on the right hand of God, 

67 



68 Sermons. 

and the healed cripple, a man above forty years of age, 
before that influential body, these three, the two apos- 
tles having spent the preceding night in prison, along 
with the man to whom perfect soundness had been 
given, stood to answer the questions propounded to 
them, and to give an explanation as to the means by 
which the lame man had been restored to perfect 
health. 

It is worthy of notice that they do not question the 
fact of the miracle. It is interesting to note that, on 
this occasion, Christ's special promise made to the 
apostles, months and even years before, was fulfilled. 
' ' When they bring you to the synagogues, and magis- 
trates, and authorities, take no thought of how or what 
ye shall answer, or what ye shall say." At this particu- 
lar time, and on this occasion, Peter and John were 
brought before the authorities and rulers of the nation. 
Special inspiration was needed. Special help was 
provided to meet the crisis. 

In this lesson there are these three things : (a) The 
apostles imprisoned, (b) The apostles arraigned before 
the Jewish Sanhedrim, (c) Peter's defense. For what 
were they imprisoned ? For immorality ? For violat- 
ing any law, human or divine ? No. But for obeying 
Christ ; for speaking forth what they knew of Him who 
came down to seek and save the lost ; for preaching the 
gospel of salvation ; for proclaiming redemption to 
sinners ; for announcing the glad tidings of the king- 
dom of God ; for telling great sinners that they might 
be blessed with a great salvation. 

This was the head and front of their offending ; yet 
for this they were opposed, persecuted, imprisoned, 
and commanded to be silent. 



The Saving Name. 69 

O, the depths of the depravity of the unrenewed 
human heart, as seen in its opposition to Christ, his 
servants, and the gospel of his grace ! How beneficent 
was Christ's mission, the only purpose of which is to 
save sinners from sin and death ! yet men rejected him- 
and do so to-day. His servants they arrested and im 
prisoned ; the progress of his gospel they sought to 
stop. But, in spite of opposition, the work went for- 
ward ; the cause progressed ; the word of God grew 
and multiplied ; still more were believers added to the 
Lord, multitudes, both men and women ; many of 
those who heard the word believed and the number of 
men became about five thousand. We should observe 
with great attentiveness and diligent application what 
the apostles preached and taught ; for their preaching 
and teaching is the model for us, arid all the successive 
generations. 

Now, it is most important to note what the apostles 
preached concerning Christ, what duties they enjoined 
upon men, what commands they gave, what promises, 
and what doctrine or doctrines they taught. As to the 
Christ, they affirmed his crucifixion. This was not de- 
nied ; it was admitted by all ; no one attempted to deny 
it. But again and again they affirmed constantly, re- 
peatedly, and with emphasis, his resurrection — the seal 
of his divine mission. With a bold and fearless spirit, 
but also with propriety of language, and in an impres- 
sive style, Peter, the arraigned man, accuses his accus- 
ers. How bold, yet how courteous! "You crucified 
Jesus. You delivered him up, and denied him in the 
presence of Pilate when he decided to release him.'' 
' ' With great power the apostles gave the testimony to 
the resurrection of the Lord Jesus ; and great grace 



?o Sermons. 

was upon them all. " They proclaimed his personal 
exaltation, his elevation to the right hand of the throne 
of the majesty in the heavens, his kingly rule and 
character, his power and willingness to save ; they 
preached the necessity of faith, of believing on the 
crucified One, of repentance and of baptism. And 
they announced in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 
They set forth this as the future hope of the children 
of God. In the Old Testament the resurrection of the 
dead is not prominent as a doctrine of divine revelation. 
Compared with Jesus and the apostles, Moses and the 
prophets say but little concerning it. It is taught by 
them, but not prominently, as the distinctive hope of 
the righteous. " That the dead are raised, even Moses 
showed at the bush." In the teaching of Jesus, this 
doctrine appears in a clearer light and in greater promi- 
nence. In the preaching and teaching of the apostles 
it is set forth with more fullness still. Indeed, in their 
writings there is no other doctrine so prominent as 
that of the resurrection. "It was the announcement 
of this great truth that enraged the Sadducees and led 
to this imprisonment. I wish you to notice that there 
is a difference between the resurrection of the dead and 
the resurrection from the dead. These are not the 
same. They are distinguished in the writings of the 
inspired teachers of Christianity. 

Let us now speak of the Stone and the only saving 
Name. Peter is fond of calling our Saviour a Stone, 
a figurative expression. For the idea, however, he is 
indebted to the Old Testament, to Isaiah and the 
Psalmists, whose language he quotes. To the San- 
hedrim, before which he stood, he said : "He [Christ] 
is the stone that was set at naught by you builders." 



The Saving Name. 71 

True, you condemned him as an impostor, and put 
him to death as a malefactor ; but God honored him 
by making him the head of the corner, and the founda- 
tion of his holy and eternal temple. "He is become 
the head of the corner." 

In his first letter to the churches, written many 
years after this sermon was preached, Peter says : "To 
whom coming, a living stone disallowed indeed by 
men, but with God chosen, honored, ye yourselves also 
as living stones are built up a spiritual house." Fur- 
ther, Christ's name is the only saving name. "There 
is salvation in no other." In the Greek, the word 
salvation has the article before it. The salvation, which 
the Jewish rulers professed to be looking for, the one 
salvation which God has provided for the world, the 
necessity for which is universal, is in Christ alone. 
And Peter gives the reason: "For there is no other 
name under heaven that is given among men in which 
we must be saved." It is by the sovereign appoint- 
ment of God that Jesus is the only Saviour of sinners. 
Jehovah has given the name of Jesus of Nazareth, 
whom the apostles proclaimed, to be to all men every- 
where, who believe, a saving name, — a name of power, 
strength, wisdom, redemption, of glorious deliverance 
from sin and death, — and he has given no other. 

Jehovah has decreed that all who are saved and 
brought to glory in heaven shall be saved in Christ, by 
faith in him, by obedience to him, by conformity to his 
image ; and hence, man is shut up to this one salvation. 

There is no salvation for any man in Moses, none in 
the prophets, none anywhere, or in any person, but in 
Jesus. His is the saving name ; God has given no 
other ; man knows no other. 



J2 Sermons. 

The word name in this passage denotes Christ Jesus 
himself, and all there is in him of wisdom, righteous- 
ness, sanctification, redemption, strength, majesty, love, 
divinity ; just as a man's name to a note stands for all 
the man has, — his property, character, ability and 
integrity. The Saving Name means the Saviour him- 
self, with all that he has and is in the plenteousness of 
his redemption. Out of Christ there is nothing good, 
spiritually viewed. In Christ there are treasures of 
grace, abundant goodness, a great redemption, salva- 
tion with eternal glory, knowledge, wisdom, power and 
everlasting life, 

God himself is in Christ (II. Cor. v, 19) the love 
of God is in him, and manifested in him (Rom. viii. 
39). The promises are in him (II. Cor. ii. 20). 
Salvation is in him (II. Tim xi. 10). Redemption is 
in him (Eph. i. 7). Our election and adoption (Eph. 
i. 4, 5). All spiritual blessings (Eph. i. 3). Eternal 
life (I. John v. 11, 12). All the treasures of wisdom 
and knowledge (Col. ii. 3). Now these blessings 
and treasures of divine grace and love are in him to 
be conveyed and communicated to believers. Believers 
partake of and share with Christ in all that is in him. 
Hence, he is called the Prince, i. e. y the Author, Source, 
or efficient cause of life and salvation to men. It also 
follows from the Scriptures cited that he who has not 
Christ, is not in union and fellowship with Christ, has 
not the salvation, redemption, or eternal life, is not 
elected, chosen, or adopted into the family of God, has 
no promise, and no God. Every one who denies the 
Son, the same has not the Father. He that acknowl- 
edges the Son has also the Father. Finally, that 
which is peculiar and distinctive in the religion of 



The Saving Name, 73 

Christ is that it is a system of redemption, This is, 
indeed, its distinguishing feature, and separates it, by 
a broad line of demarcation, from all other religions 
known to man. Other religions teach morality ; this 
offers to sinners redemption. Christianity is not a sys- 
tem of ethical culture, or intellectual development, or 
of moral reform; but a system of redemption, — of 
deliverance from sin and death by the sacrifice and the 
suffering of Christ Jesus. Redemption by his death, — 
this is the essence of Christiainty. 

Salvation being in Christ alone, you must be in 
Christ to enjoy and possess it, 



THE HEALING POWER OF CHRIST. 

I am to speak to you this evening in regard to the 
facts stated in this passage, and the context thereof, — 
the subject of which is, the healing power of Christ 
as exhibited in the restoration to perfect physical 
soundness of a man who was above forty years of age, 
and who had been a cripple from his birth : 

A mighty dead, a great wonder, a miracle of heal- 
ing wrought through the apostles ! In the ninth chap- 
ter of John, we read of a man blind from his birth, 
whom Jesus cured, to whom he gave the power to see. 
Tha; man was born blind and a beggar. The man had 
beer, all his life a cripple and likewise a beggar. Jeru- 
salem was the place where each miracle was performed, 
the one by our Lord, and the other by that apostle to 
whom ne gave the keys of the kingdom of heaven. 
In the fourth chapter it is said : ' ' All the people glo- 
rified God for that which was done." The people were 
greatly pleased that one who had been in an utterly 
helpless condition for so many years was restored to 
perfect health. The case of this man was pitiable in 
the extreme. He was unable to walk. The probability 
is he had never taken a step ; for it is said he had been 
lame from his birth. The seat of weakness was in his 
feet and ankles. And again, he was poor ; a mendi- 
cant and a beggar. The time of the miracle was a few 
weeks, possibly a few months, after the occurrence of 
the events narrated in the second chapter. The number 
of the disciples in Jerusalem had increased to about five 

74 



The Healing Power of Christ. 75 

thousand. The good work was going steadily forward. 
There were daily accessions to the church. The king- 
dom of Christ was extending. The power of the truth 
was being felt more and more widely. The life and 
conduct of the disciples was such that they had favor 
with the people, and great grace was upon them. The 
apostles and disciples continued to worship in the tem- 
ple, and to observe the stated hours for daily prayer. 
There was no abrupt or violent separation, or with- 
drawal from the ordinary temple services. The Jews 
were taught by the apostles, and exhorted to receive 
Jesus Christ as the true Messiah, become members of 
his church, and citizens in the kingdom, by submission 
to his authority. One day " Peter and John were 
going up together into the temple at the hour of 
prayer." These two apostles seemed to have had an 
affinity or attraction for each other. They were with 
each other a great deal, both before and after the cru- 
cifixion and resurrection of our Lord. They were eye- 
witnesses of his transfiguration on the mount, witnesses 
of the resurrection, witnesses of his agony in the garden 
and on the cross. After the day of Pentecost and the 
inauguration of the kingdom, they kept together in 
their work and labors as apostles of the crowned King. 
They were ascending the temple steps, going into 
the house of God to preach and teach concerning the 
name of Jesus the Christ, and to worship that God 
who had glorified his servant Jesus, whom he had ap- 
pointed both Lord and Christ. Behold, a certain man 
lame from his birth lying at the gate begging. Every 
generous heart pities the beggar ; we pity the one who 
is compelled to ask alms of his fellow men ; we look 
upon such with compassion and regret; not simply be- 



y6 Sermons. 

cause he is poor, not that ; but by reason of the fact 
that poverty demoralizes. The moment a girl or boy, 
a man or a woman begins to beg, that moment they lose 
their sense of manhood and womanhood;, they sink in 
their own estimation, and become conscious of parting 
with the dignity that belongs to every immortal soul J 
and therefore it is that lying and deception usually 
accompany begging. There are worthy poor, and such 
should be sought out and assisted, but there are few 
worthy professional beggars. You are walking along 
the streets; and see sitting by the wayside a blind man 
holding out his old hat, that pennies may be dropped 
into it, and his sightless eyes appeal to your compas- 
sion. You know not which to pity more, his physical 
condition, or the state of mind which his occupation 
begets. Both excite your sympathy. Peter and John, 
being themselves poor, had no money to give this crip- 
ple ; but they gave him what was infinitely better for 
him than thousands of money ; health, strength, phys- 
ical soundness. The work was done ; the miracle was 
wrought ; the healing was effected ; the evidence of it 
was seen in what the man did. He who had never 
stood erect, nor walked before, now stood, walked and 
leaped forth, following the two apostles into the temple ; 
and his heart filled with gratitude for what had been 
done on his behalf. He praised God for the removal 
of the weakness, and his restoration to complete sound- 
ness. " And all the people saw him walking, leaping, 
and praising God, and they recognized him." Two 
things astonished the multitudes. First, the lame 
man's restoration, which was seen to be complete and 
lacking in nothing. Second, the greatness of that 
power which God had given to men. This was that 



The Healing Power of Christ. 77 

miraculous or supernatural gift, called the gift of heal- 
ing. The miracle being wrought, Peter and John went 
on their way ; they proceeded to the porch that was 
called Solomon's. The healed man, regarding them 
as his benefactors, held fast to them ; he was deter- 
mined not to let go his hold of them, and did not. A 
crowd collected in Solomon's porch ; a multitude gath- 
ered about the three men, the two disciples and cured 
cripple, greatly wondering. Now, Peter's explanation. 
Standing in Solomon's porch, surrounded on every side 
by an eager multitude, he spoke as follows : ' ' Men of 
Israel, why wonder ye at this ? Or why look ye so 
intently on us, as though by our own power or godli- 
ness we had made this man to walk? " The power by 
which the miracle was wrought came from the glorified 
Redeemer ; in other words, Christ performed the miracle 
of healing through the apostles, and in attestation of their 
mission as divine. They ascribed the power to Christ, 
not claiming it for themselves. That same evening they 
were arrested, and imprisoned. They were interrupted 
in their discourse, and led away to a place of confine- 
ment, where they spent their first night in prison. 
' ' While they were speaking to the people, the priests 
and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came 
upon them, being indignant decause they taught the 
people and announced in Jesus the resurrection from 
the dead. " What a change was wrought in these men ! 
What a great mental revolution they underwent ! Once 
they were timid, now bold ; once fearful and trembling, 
but now couragous and brave ; once they forsook the 
Saviour and fled, leaving him in the hands of his ene- 
mies ; but now, with wonderful boldness and courage, 
they defended him and his cause! The only extenua- 



78 Sermons. 

tion or mitigation of the crime of the Jews in crucifying 
the Messiah, Peter states, viz. : their ignorance. ' ' And 
now, brethren, I know that ye acted in ignorance, as 
also your rulers." In view of this miracle and its 
attendant circumstances, in view of what it proves con- 
cerning Christ and his power to save, notice the duties 
the apostle urges, viz : 

Repentance and turning to God. ' ' Repent ye there- 
fore, and turn," i. e., turn to God injrighteousness, refor- 
mation of life and obedience to his will, that your sins 
may be blotted out. True repentance involves, first, 
the forsaking of sin ; second, making restitution for any 
injury we may have done our neighbor in his person, 
property, or reputation: thirdly, seeking forgiveness 
through Christ. Now, the motives to the performance 
are such as these : First, the inauguration of the king- 
dom of. heaven, and the blessings enjoyed therein. 
Secondly, the goodness of God. This is a scriptural 
motive to repentance (Rom. ii. 4). 

The goodness of God ! How infinite it is ! Seen 
everywhere, and in all the works of his hands, but espe- 
cially, and most strikingly in the gift of his Son, and the 
gospel of his grace. 

Thirdly, the day of judgment. In view of this 
men are exhorted to repent. — all men everywhere. 
(Acts xvii. 31, 32). Because of the certainty of 
this day of judgment, when the secrets of all hearts 
shall be disclosed, when the omnipotent Judge will re- 
ward each one according to his works, a day for which 
all other days are made, rein-trying, heart-investigating 
day, in view of its certainty, men are to repent and do 
works worthy of repentance. To all practical intents 
and purposes, the judgment comes at every one's death ; 



The Healing Power of Christ. 79 

for it is for the .deeds done in the body that men will 
be judged at the last day. O children of men, be wise ; 
be wise to-day. Seek the true wisdom, the beginning 
of which is the fear of the Lord. Seek the incorrupti- 
ble crown, the everlasting inheritance, and a position 
among those who will shine forth like the sun in the 
kingdom of their Father, when all earthly objects shall 
have passed away forever. 



THE TRIAL OF JESUS. 

There are four points, which I wish briefly to put 
before you to-night. i. The innocence of Jesus as 
shown in his trial. 2. The voluntariness of his sacri- 
fice and death. 3. The efficacy and all-sufficiency of 
his atonement made thereby. 4. Our duty in rela- 
tion thereto. The innocence of Christ is evident from 
the absence of all testimony to the contrary, and from 
the fact that there was no testimony which proved him 
guilty. His innocence, his entire freedom from all 
blameworthiness, is one of the best attested facts in all 
history. He was regarded as sinless, perfect, not sim- 
ply by his friends, but by his enemies as well. One 
apostle says : " He did no sin, neither was guile found 
in his mouth." Another: "In him is no sin." An- 
other: " He knew no sin. " Another: "He was holy, 
harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners." But 
we inquire now as to the testimony, not of his friends, 
but of his enemies. During his trial, no defense was 
made. No one pleaded his cause ; not one came to 
his defense. Even his disciples forsook him and fled, 
leaving him in the hands of his enemies, thirsting for 
his blood, and anxious to have him crucified as soon as 
possible. He trod the wine press alone, and of the 
people there was none with him. Not one sympathized 
with him. He stood alone in his mighty agony and 
sorrow. Let me give you the names of those who bore 
testimony to his innocence. First, Judas. He betrayed 
our Saviour for thirty pieces of silver, fifteen dollars ; 

80 



The Trial of Jesus. 8i 

but afterwards, seeing that he was condemned, and 
about to be crucified, filled with regret, and stung with 
remorse of conscience, he brought back the thirty pieces 
of silver, and threw them down, saying: "I have 
sinned in betraying innnocent blood. " And they said: 
What is it to us ? Look thou to that. And casting 
down the pieces of silver in the temple, he departed.'' 
He went away and hanged himself. Judas Iscariot, 
though a bad man, a thief, a demon, and under the 
immediate influence of the devil, was, nevertheless, 
one of the chosen twelve, and from his constant asso- 
ciation with Jesus, had the best possible opportu- 
nities of beholding his private life and public con- 
duct ; and, fully conscious of our Lord's perfect integ- 
rity, before committing suicide, be bore witness 
thereto. 

Pilate, the Roman judge, procurator, or governor of 
Judea. His conviction as to the innocence of the man 
who stood before him was strong, and his testimony 
clear and emphatic ; he resorted to a number of maneuv- 
ers or expedients by which to avoid, if possible, the ex- 
ecution of the illegal sentence pronounced against him 
by the chief priests, scribes and elders. Three times he 
said to the Jews, the multitudes, chief priests and 
rulers: "I find no fault in this man, touching those 
things whereof you accuse him. Nothing worthy of 
death has been done by him. He is innocent, He has 
violated no law either of God or man. " And wishing- 
to appease the angry, clamorous, excited and enraged 
multitude, he said : * * I will therefore chastise and 
release him." Pilate ought to have resisted the de- 
mands of the murderous Jews ; but he had not the 
firmness necessary to do that, and, yielding to the mob, 



82 Sermons. 

he gave sentence, that what they required should be 
done, and he put to death an innocent man. Seeing 
that his efforts to release him availed nothing, but rath- 
er that a tumult was made, he took water and washed 
his hands before the multitude, saying: " I am inno- 
cent of the blood of this just person ; see ye to it. " 

Again, Pilate's wife is a witness to our Lord's 
guiltlessness. As he sat on the judgment-seat, his 
wife sent to him, saying : ' ' Have thou nothing to do 
with that just man ; for I have suffered many things 
this day in a dream because of him." 

Herod, the tetrarch of Galilee, who also was in 
Jerusalem at that time, the thief on the cross, and the 
Roman centurion who superintended the crucifixion, all 
bore striking testimony to the purity and righteousness 
of the Holy One. It was necessary that he who was to 
make atonement for the sins of a guilty world should 
himself be guiltless in his moral character, and perfect 
in the eyes of Him who searches the heart, and weighs 
the spirit. The divine Redeemer — the God-man was 
without fault before the universe. And there are two 
things that must strike with peculiar force the mind of 
every careful and observant reader of the several ac- 
counts of his trial. First, no formal defense was made 
in his behalf. The trial was altogether one-sided. No 
one came forward to speak for him, or to answer the 
false accusations preferred against him ; and he refused 
to reply to them himself. All he said to the chief 
priests, elders and council was this: " I am the Son of 
God." He did not deny, but distinctly affirmed his 
Messiahship. To Pilate he said, the question being 
put directly to him: "I am the King of the Jews." 
As to all the other accusations, he made no answer. 



The Trial of Jesus. 83 

He was silent, calm, undisturbed, and peaceful. Indeed, 
his mind was the only calm one in Jerusalem at that 
time. Without, all was excitement, agitation, hurrying 
to and fro, disorder, tumult, and disturbance. In his 
soul a holy quiet reigned. Conscious of his own inno- 
cence and spotlessness, he preserved perfect silence un- 
der false accusations. 

The second thing that must strike the attentive 
mind with great force is the strength of the evidence 
establishing his innocence. He was manifestly with- 
out fault. A multitude of witnesses attested his 
sinlessness, the untainted purity of his life. The ver- 
dict of the world to-day is, Jesus was a sinless man. 

Consider, next, the voluntariness of his death. In 
his whole redemptive work, as well as in his death, he 
acted freely, voluntarily : he was under no constraint, 
compulsion or necessity. The Father sent him, but he 
came of his own free will, and in obedience to the divine 
will. In the tenth chapter of John he says: "lam 
the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down 
his life for the sheep." And again, in the same chap- 
ter, he says: "For this cause the Father, loves me, 
because I lay down my life that I may take it again. 
No one takes it from me." At the time of his betrayal 
and apprehension in the garden, to the Roman soldiers 
who were guided by Judas, to the chief priests and eld- 
ers and captains of the temple who were come to him 
as against a robber, with swords and staves, he said : 
" Whom seek ye?" They answered : Jesus the Naza- 
rene. Jesus says to them : "I am he." Such was the 
calmness of his demeanor, the dignity of his deport- 
ment, the majesty of his mien, the power of his moral 
influence, the influence he unconsciously exerted 



84 Sermons. 

over men, that they were struck with awe. And to 
Peter, who, having a sword, and was a little more bold 
than the rest, and cut off the ear of Malchus, Jesus 
said: "Put back thy sword in its sheath. Thinkest 
thou that I can not now pray to my father, and he shall 
presently give me more than twelve legions of angels ?" 
He yielded voluntarily : he might have destroyed his 
foes, smitten them all with death, and escaped. The 
cup which his Father gave him to drink he drank. Of 
his own accord, he submitted to the arrest, the mock 
trial, the buffeting, the scorn, derision, jesting, cruel 
treatment, and the cross. 

Notice, in the third place, the efficacy of his sac- 
rifice — the all-sufficiency of the atonement he wrought. 
He is the one great Sin-offering for the world. His 
blood cleanses from all sin and unrighteousness. It 
effaces every stain, it removes all guilt, both inherited 
and actual by reason of personal transgression. If 
the blood of goats and bulls, and the ashes of a heifer 
sprinkling those who have been defiled, sanctifies to 
the purifying of the flesh ; how much more shall the 
blood of Christ, the Lamb of God ! 

In our Lord's sacrifice we behold two things : First, 
substitution. He took the sinner's place, and suffered 
in our stead. For our transgressions the stroke was 
upon him. The chastisement of our peace was upon 
him, and by his stripes we are healed. Hence he was 
treated by men as though he was a sinner. He was 
not one, but was treated as if he were, and the great- 
est of sinners. Secondly, imputation, or the transfer- 
ence of the world's sin to him. He was appointed by 
the Father who sent him to be our sin-offering ; and, 
as such, Jehovah laid on him the iniquity of us all, and 



The Trial of Jesus. 8$ 

he bore our iniquities in his own body on the cross. 
These two thoughts were set forth in type under the 
law. 

Now what may we all have through Christ's death ? 
Forgiveness, redemption, the remission of all our tres- 
passes, cleansing of the conscience, peace, reconciliation 
with God, and the hope of eternal life ; all these, and 
perfection as to them. " By one offering he has 
perfected forever the sanctified. " All needed perfec- 
tion through his great atonement ! What riches of 
grace ! 

Now, what is our duty in relation to this doctrine ? 
It is our duty to preach it — to proclaim, publish, an- 
nounce, declare in the plainest terms, and to all men 
everywhere, this great fundamental doctrine of the Holy 
Scriptures, viz. ; Redemption for guilty man by the death 
of Christ Jesus our Lord. Our testimony as to this is to 
be clear, definite, explicit, and unmistakable. Our trum- 
pet is to give no uncertain sound concerning this doc- 
trine. We are to state what the divine word states, 
and hold it up before men as a great revealed truth, 
that the only way in which any sinner can be saved is 
through Christ's sacrificial sufferings. By faith let us 
pass behind the vail that separates us from the spirit 
land. Behold yonder great company of redeemed 
ones ! They are before the throne. They say : " Sal- 
vation to our God who sits upon the throne and unto 
the Lamb forever." 

It is the sinner's duty to receive this doctrine, and 
by it be reconciled to God. It is his solemn, impera- 
tive, immediate duty. Indeed, the revelation and 
preachimg of this doctrine are the divinely appointed 
means for reconciling man to God. " Being enemies, 



86 Sermons. 

we are reconciled to God through the death of his Son, 
and being reconciled, we shall be saved from the wrath 
through him." Again, says the apostles: we are 
ambassadors on behalf of Christ, as though God were 
beseeching through us ; on behalf of Christ we pray : 
Be reconciled to God ! for Him who knew no sin he 
made to be a sin-offering for us, that we might be made 
the righteousness of God in him. That is, the great 
motive which Paul presented to the mind to induce 
sinners to repent and be reconciled to God in the death, 
the sacrificial death of his Son. This is the mightiest 
argument, the most potent, tender, affecting and per- 
suasive in all the resources of Heaven. If this fails to 
subdue you and bring to the feet of Jesus, all else fails. 



THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST. 

The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that 
Jesus began both to do and to teach. Until the day in which 
he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had 
given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen : 
To whom he also showed himself alive after his passion by 
many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and 
speaking of things pertaining to the kingdom of God, (Acts 
i. 1-3). 

Many are skeptical concerning the resurrection of 
Christ, because they have not examined the evidence. 
They have not carefully studied the testimony which 
God has given. Ignorance of that testimony is, in- 
deed, a characteristic of all disbelievers. The evidences 
of Christ's resurrection when impartially weighed and 
honestly considered, are sufficiently strong to carry 
conviction to every candid mind. With the amount of 
evidence submitted for our consideration and faith we 
have nothing to do, nothing whatever. We have what 
God, in his perfect judgment and infinite wisdom, saw 
fit to give us, and no more. That evidence is record- 
ed in the New Testament ; with a good and honest 
heart, we are to consider, study, examine, investigate, 
and in no other way can our faith be intelligent or 
well-grounded, nor can we give a reason for the hope 
that is in us. You are not to believe, and make the 
Christian pro/ession, because your parents did ; you are 
not to be a member of the Church of Christ, because 
others are. You are to use the faculties God has given 
you; you are to inquire, investigate and think for 

87 



S8 Sermons/ 

yourself, to act from conviction, and from a faith pro- 
duced by personal, independent examination. Then 
you will be stable, steadfast, grounded and settled in 
the truth, and not moved away from the hope of the 
gospel. Your faith, resting on the divine testimony, 
will be steady, unshaken by the objections and assaults 
of disbelievers, and it will shine with increasing brillian- 
cy, giving you infinite satisfaction, peace and hope. 
As life goes by, it will ripen into assured conviction 
and personal knowledge, and you can say : "I know 
that my Redeemer liveth," "I knew whom I have 
trusted." It is often charged by infidels that Chris- 
tians believe without sufficient evidence, and are so 
far forth weak-minded ; that they are controlled by 
fear, and a sort of superstitious regard for supernatu- 
ral things, rather than by knowledge and an intelligent 
faith. No charge ever made had less foundation ; it is 
utterly untrue, and is made without reason. I admit 
that many professing Christians do not read the Bible 
nearly as much as they should ; they do not sufficiently 
acquaint themselves with the divine testimony and the 
sacred records ; they do not explore, as they mighty 
the rich mines of revealed truth, and, consequently, 
their faith is often weak and vacillating. It does not 
yield them fullness of joy and peace. I admit all this ; 
yet I aver that the facts believed by Christians are sus- 
tained by evidence irrefragable, by proofs infallible, by 
testimony amply sufficient ; by an array, a strength 
and a fullness of evidence such as can not be adduced 
in support of the facts of profane history, and which 
the whole disbelieving world can not overthrow, gainsay 
or refute. So far from believing without reason, we 
believe for reasons ample, convincing, altogether suffi- 



The Resurrection of Christ. 89 

cient, and no man can refuse to believe without doing 
injustice to his intellect and moral nature. It is not for 
lack of evidence that any one disbelieves, but for other 
reasons. What is the judgment of men who were 
with Jesus from the beginning, who heard, and saw, and 
handled him, both before and after his resurrection, who 
ate and drank — and who, therefore, had the fullest oppor- 
tunity of knowing whether he was actually risen ? What 
is their judgment, their expressed opinion, as to the 
sufficiency of the evidence of his resurrection ? One of 
them, after giving some of the proofs of the resurrec- 
tion, says : ' ' Many other signs also did Jesus in the 
presence of the disciples, which are not writen in this 
book." These signs were post-resurrection appear- 
ances of our Lord ; his various appearings, at different 
times and on different occasions, to his disciples ; and 
were intended to assure them that he had actually left- 
the grave, and to produce faith in him as being the 
Messiah, the Son of God, and the real Saviour of lost 
sinners. Some of these signs, John, under the guide 
ance of the divine Spirit, recorded : many others he did 
not record. And adds : " But these are written, that 
you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of 
God ; and that believing, ye might have life through his 
name." Thus, in the judgment of the apostle John, 
less than half the proofs of our Redeemer's resurrec- 
tion is enough to produce faith in him as God's beloved 
Son, and man's deliverer. He gives another chapter 
of evidence, narrating with particularity and minuteness 
of detail Jesus' manifestation of himself to his disciples 
at the sea of Tiberias, and the manner in which he 
manifested himself ; and at the end of the chapter says : 
1 * This is the disciple who testified of these things and 



go Sermons. 

wrote these things : and we know that his testimony is 
true." Another of the first disciples, the author of the 
third gospel, and of the book of Acts, Paul's traveling 
companion, who wrote the gospel as he learned it 
from Paul, who received it by direct revelation from 
Christ himself, says: ' 'To Theophilus, concerning all that 
Jesus began both to do and to teach, until the day in 
which he was received up, after that he had given com- 
mandment through the Holy Ghost unto the apostles 
whom he had chosen : to whom he also showed himself 
alive after his passion by 'many infallible proofs, etc." 
" Proofs," i. e. evidences; that degree of evidence which 
convinces the mind of the certainty of a truth or fact, 
and produces belief. "Infallible," u e. y certain, irre- 
fragable, that can not be gainsaid, or refuted. "Many 
infallible proofs." What John means by "signs," 
Luke means by "proofs." 

These infallible proofs were given in the post-resur- 
rection appearances of our Lord to his disciples, eleven 
or twelve of which appearances are recorded by the 
evangelists ; and at least five of them took place 
on the day of the resurrection. I. He appeared to 
Mary Magdalene alone, near the sepulchre which he 
left, as told us by both Mark aud John. 2, To the 
woman returning from the sepulchre near Jerusalem. 
3. To Simon Peter alone on the same day. 4. To the 
two disciples going to Emmaus, and to whom he be- 
came known in the breaking of bread. 5. To the apos- 
tles at Jerusalem, excepting Thomas, who was absent. 
These five appearances certainly, and perhaps one 
more, that mentioned by Luke near the end of the 
twenty-fourth chapter, were all given the day of the 
resurrection. A week from that day, he appeared a 



The Resurrection of Christ. 91 

second time to the apostles at Jerusalem, Thomas being 
present (John xx, 26-29). To seven disciples at the 
sea of Tiberias, when fishing. To the eleven disciples 
on a mountain in Galilee. To James only. To above 
five hundred brethren at once in Galilee. To all the 
apostles on Mount Olivet at the time of his ascension. 
These were all preascension appearances, i. e. they were 
given during the forty days between his resurrection 
and ascension. There were also post-ascension ap- 
pearances. How many of these, we are not informed. 
Near Damascus, he appeared to Saul of Tarsus, in a 
light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shin- 
ing around him, and those who journeyed with him. 

Paul received the whole gospel which he preached 
as a direct revelation from Christ. And in vision the 
risen Redeemer appeared to him at different times 
during his long and fruitful ministry. To John also on 
the isle of Patmos Jesus manifested himself. Now, all 
these disciples and apostles, to whom he manifested 
himself both before and after his ascension, had the 
evidence of a majority of their senses that he had actu- 
ally risen. He stood before them ; he spoke to them ; 
they knew his voice ; it was familiar to them, and they 
could not be mistaken concerning it. Mary, to whom he 
first appeared, mistook him for the gardener, and said : 
" Sir, if thou hast borne him hence, tell me where thou 
hast laid him." When standing in the midst of the disci- 
ples, he spoke, saying : " Peace be to you. " .Thus, they 
had the evidence of sight, of hearing, and of touch; 
also of memory ; for he spoke to them on a subject to 
which he had frequently alluded and concerning which 
he had given them much instruction before his death 
and resurrection, viz., The kingdom of heaven. Nearly 



92 Sermons. 

all his parables relate to the kingdom and set it forth 
in one or another of its aspects. And after his resur- 
rection, during the forty days, he returned to the same 
great topic, and spoke precisely concerning it. Pre- 
cisely what he said we are not informed ; we are sim- 
ply told that during forty days he appeared to them, 
and spoke the things concerning the kingdom of God. 
Now the resurrection of our Lord being proved, what 
does it itself prove ? What is established thereby ? 
The following : 

I. — His Messiahship ; his divine Sonship ; in other 
words, his Deity. This was the one great point in 
controversy during his public and personal ministry. 
He was proclaimed by the Father to be his beloved 
Son ; and he himself put forward this claim. He said, 
' ' I am the Son of God. I am the true Messiah. " ' * And 
declared to be the Son of God with power, according to 
the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead " 
(Rom. ii. 4). 

2. — His resurrection authenticates his heavenly 
mission. Being proven thereby to be the Son of God, 
and a divine Redeemer, then it follows that every word 
he says is true, and is to be received on his authority 
without doubting or questioning. His word is final, 
conclusive, and the end of all controversy. From it 
there can be no appeal. And we must accustom our- 
selves to look at and regard Christ's word in this light. 

3. — It gives us a sure foundation on which to build 
our hopes in the future. "If a man die, shall he live 
again?" If you say he shall, what is the proof? Where 
is the evidence ? Nature affords no satisfactory proof. 
Science can not establish the doctrine of man's im- 
mortality. The constitution of the human mind does 



The Resurrection of Christ. 93 

not furnish conclusive evidence thereof. Where, then, 
shall we find evidence that will satisfy us ? I answer, 
in the resurrection of Jesus. 

4. — Christ's resurrection reveals the great truth of 
a future judgment. (Acts xvii. 30, 31). 

5. — Our Lord's resurrection is the great proof of 
our resurrection in his likeness. He is the first fruits ; 
his people, redeemed from death when he comes, will 
be the great harvest. In the resurrection, order will 
be observed. (I. Cor. xv. 22, etc). 

Now, the practical lessons to be learned from this 
subject are these : Have faith ; believe ; rest on the 
great facts of the gospel, and especially on the great 
fact of our Saviour's resurrection, and be not moved 
therefrom. The other practical lesson is thi: Obe- 
dience. Being the Son of God, and having all au- 
thority in heaven and earth, he must be obeyed. On 
the mount of transfiguration the Father spoke, saying : 
" This is my beloved Son, hear ye him." Obey and 
blessing shall come to you. Obey, and your peace 
shall begin. 



OUR HIGHEST LOVE. 

Grace be with all thein that love our L,ord Jesus Christ in 
sincerit}'. Amen. (Ephesians vi. 24). 

If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be 
Anathema, Maran-atha. (I. Corinthiens xvi. 22). 

The Apostle Paul, who closes two of his letters with 
the words I have just quoted, was a man of great intel- 
lectual vigor, of rare attainments and scholarship, consid- 
ering the age in which he lived. Of strong faith, of 
warm heart, of tender sensibilities and deep emotion, 
he believed ; therefore, he spoke, and wrote. He 
served the divine Master with all possible simplicity, 
zeal and energy. His zeal knew no bounds ; his energy 
was unconquerable, his labors incessant his spirit was 
lofty, and his aims high. For him to live was Christ, 
and when death came it was gain. He was crucified 
with Christ, and the life which he lived in the flesh, he 
lived by the faith of the Son of God. The epistle to 
the Ephesians he closes with these words : " Grace be 
with all those who love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincer- 
ity. " To all such, grace, strength, mercy, peace, the 
peace of God, heavenly benediction, and every spiritual 
blessing be multiplied. 

The other letter, the first to the Corinthians, he 
closes with these most solemn, and deeply impressive 
words: " If any one loves not the Lord Jesus Christ, 
let him be accursed. " Not in anger, not in a vindic- 
tive spirit, not with any feeling of revenge, not to 
threaten or awe any one into subjection to the divine 



Our Highest Love. 95 

will through fear ; but, because it will be, ought to be, 
and because the merciful Saviour before him taught it, 
he wrote the words. And be it noted, this solemn 
declaration, or denunciation, the apostle wrote with his 
own hand, as the summary of all that he had said, in 
order that it might be attentively regarded. The whole 
epistle, from its beginning to the verse quoted, was 
written by the hand of another, at the apostle's dicta- 
tion. He had an amanuensis, a hand-writer. And 
then to give validity to the whole, to authorize it as 
his own inspired production, and sanction its teachings, 
he subscribes himself, saying: "The salutation of me, 
Paul, with mine own hand." And then adds : " If any 
one loves not the Lord, let him be Anathema." There 
is not a more solemn declaration in the Bibie : there is 
not a more fearful denunciation ; there is not one that 
will more certainly be executed. "J |It is implied in this 
language that the great matter, the all-important, es- 
sential thing, the supreme requisite, that without which 
all other things are not worth possessing, is love ; love 
to the Lord Jesus Christ, that love which makes itself 
manifest in obedience, in doing his will from the heart, 
in taking up the cross and bearing it after him, in keep- 
ing his commandments, in personal consecration to 
him. This is the principal thing ; not the acceptance 
of a certain statement of truth, but, love to Christ, a 
divine person, glorious in his divinity, and perfect in 
his humanity. It is further taught, in this passage, 
that the lack of this love not only condemns, but de- 
votes to destruction men and women ; yea, every one 
that does not seek it, cultivate it, walk in it. Ah ! how 
we err in our understanding, or rather misunderstand- 
ing of the divine word I How blind we are in our 



g6 Sermons. 

perception of spiritual truth ! what is the ground of 
love to Christ ? What are the reasons for it ? Why is 
it that the refusal to love him is such a great sin ? The 
ground of it is threefold. I. What he is. 2. What he 
has done for us. 3. What he promises to do in the 
future. We are to love Christ, first, because of what 
he is in the glory of his character, and in the benevo- 
lence of his life. Hold up his character before you in 
its entirety, consider it, surey it attentively study it 
feature by feature, and lineament by lineament, till 
its outlines are fixed in your mind, and stamped on 
your soul. Consider how faultless it is, unblemished, 
immaculate, perfect in every trait and attribute. An- 
other such character the world has never seen. It 
stands alone in its beauty, glory and perfection. He is 
altogether lovely, attractive in every aspect of his char- 
acter, Jesus manifested this beautiful and excellent 
trait, entire submission to the will of God. He came 
into the world in obedience to the will of the Father, 
aud in the execution and prosecution of his great re- 
demptive work. He was obedient, carrying out the will 
of another. How often did he say : i( I came forth 
from the Father, and am come into the world." I come 
in his name, and to do his will. I am his representa- 
tive, his messenger, his apostle. The prophet David 
puts in his mouth these words: "Lo, I come, in the 
volume of the book it is written of me. I delight to do 
thy will, O my God." Complete submission to the 
will of God, entire resignation thereto, characterized 
Him whom we are to love with a passionate devotion, 
and whom we are to take as our model. Again, Jesus 
manifested great wisdom. He is a wise teacher, a wise 
counselor, a wise friend ; and it is perfectly safe to follow 



Our Highest Love. 97 

him, to obey his teachings and conform to his example ; 
and he who does this will not and can not go astray. 
Further, gentleness, meekness, patience, forbearance, 
the forgiveness of injuries, are marked features of 
the character of the Lord Jesus. Freedom from re- 
venge, the utter absence of a vindictive spirit are seen 
to exist in him in fullest measure. Retaliation, resent- 
ment, pride, haughtiness, arrogance, works of the flesh, 
of all these he was absolutely devoid. His motto was 
good, truth, salvation for all who will seek them ; 
mercy, and forgiveness for all who will repent, turn 
away from sin, and henceforth seek conformity to the 
will of heaven. Such is the character of Him whom 
not to love brings ruin to the soul. 

That trait or feature, however, in the character of 
our Saviour which, in my judgment, proves more con- 
clusively than any other his divinity, is his absolute 
unselfishness. From this vice, so common in society, 
and so destructive of human happiness, Jesus was free. 
He was perfectly unselfish. He spoke no word, he 
performed no deed, he said nothing, he did nothing, 
when on earth, although sorely tried, and put to the 
proof in every possible way, that can be construed as 
manifesting a grain of selfishness on his part. 

The second great reason for love to Christ is seen 
in what he has done, and in what he has done for us. 
We owe much to the Father, whose grace and love 
moved him to devise the beneficent scheme of salvation, 
and give his beloved Son to execute it and die for our 
sins, and who, in infinite long-suffering and forbearance, 
has borne with us and with all men. Yes, to him, the 
great Father, we owe much. We owe much also to the 
divine Spirit, who is willing to come to the child of God, 



98 Sermons. 

take up his abode in the heart, comfort, strengthen, 
guide in all the truth, impart power, and help the weak 
one to fight the good fight of faith and attain to final 
victory. To the Spirit we indeed owe much as the 
glorifier of Christ, the revealer of the truth, and the 
sanctifier of the saints. We owe much to Christ also. 
Neither the Father's work, nor the Spirit's work, with- 
out the Son's, would have availed for our salvation ; 
and by what he has done for us, done to save us, to 
deliver us from our sins and the dominion of death, to 
destroy him who had the power of death, and open to 
us the way to heaven and immortality, by his suffer- 
ings, death and resurrection, he has placed us under 
obligations to himself, — obligations as high as the heav- 
ens and lasting as eternity, to love him with a quench- 
less affection, and an obedience that includes the whole 
life. What has he done for us ? Ah ! the greatness of 
Christ's work on our behalf, who can fathom it ? Who 
can describe it ? Who can set it forth ? Herein, then, 
is seen the reasonableness of this obligation we are un- 
der to love the Lord Jesus Christ ; herein also is seen 
the enormity of the sin of refusing or neglecting to 
love him. "If any one loves not the Lord, let him 
be accursed." 

The apostle adds, " Maran-atha." What does this 
mean? The Lord will come, come to judgment. And 
when he comes, what will he say to those who have 
not loved him ? to those who shall be on his left hand ? 
He tells us in the twenty-fifth chapter of Matthew, May 
we be saved from the doom of those who love not the 
Lord Jesus Christ ! I have spoken in your hearing the 
truth. It remains for you to obey it, or reject it. If you 
obey it, yours will be the joy and the eternal benediction. 



Our Highest Love. 99 

If you reject it, the consequences you will suffer. And 
God will not interpose to prevent it. He will work no 
miracle to save you from the consequences of your own 
disobedience. Children of men, flee from the wrath to 
come ! Take refuge in the sin-atoning Lamb of God. 
Harden not your hearts. Yield to Christ. Take him 
for thy guide and Saviour, and find rest for your souls. 



BEGINNING ARIGHT. 

I write unto you, little children, because your sins are 
forgiven you for his name's sake. I write unto you, fathers, 
because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I 
write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the 
wicked one. (I. John ii. 12, 13). 

In all our ministrations of the work of God, and in 
all our church work, whether that work be performed 
by us as individuals or in a collective capacity, there 
are two objects which we are to keep steadily in view. 
1 . The conversion of the unconverted ; the winning of 
souls to Christ, the enlistment of volunteers in the army 
and service of the Divine Master. This is first in time, 
and in the order of nature. 2. The building up of souls 
in Christ ; their edification, religious advancement, and 
growth in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and 
Saviour Jesus Christ. These ends accomplished, the 
people of whom they are true are saved, fitted for glory, 
and for an abundant entrance into the everlasting King- 
dom. First, a foundation has been laid ; a sure founda- 
tion, a precious corner-stone, Christ Jesus. God himself 
has laid this foundation, as it is written : " Behold the 
sure foundation-stone." On this foundation, which 
was prepared by the mission, sacrifice, atoning death, 
resurrection and exaltation of the Messiah, we are to 
build. As in the construction of dwellings a house 
is erected on the foundation, which has been first pre- 
pared and completed, so in the great work of saving 
humanity we build on the Christ, the one divine and 



Beginning Aright. ioi 

staole foundation. The materials with which we build 
are believers, believing penitents, or penitent believers, 
called by the apostle, ' * gold, silver and precious 
stones. " These are the minister's '* work," work which 
he builds on the sure foundation. But there is anoth- 
er, a second, and equally important work, in building 
up in Christ those who are built .on him. These ex- 
pressions, and the ideas conveyed by them, are distinct 
and scriptural. Individual believers are first, to be 
built on Christ, and then built up in him. 

The sacred writer also says : ' ' As therefore ye re- 
ceived Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him." To 
be built up in Christ means, evidently, to be built up 
in a character that resembles his, a character the leading 
and distinguishing traits of which are righteousness, 
godliness, a righteous, godly and sober life ; meekness, 
gentleness, patience, love and joy in the Holy Spirit ; 
"for he that in these things serves the Christ, it is 
well-pleasing to God and approved of men." In the 
passage just read, the apostle addresses three classes : 
I. Little children. 2. Young men. 3. Fathers. 
By* 'little children " is meant young converts, those 
newly come to the faith, those who have lately confessed 
Christ before men, put him on in baptism, and thus 
have just begun to put him on in character. By ' ' young 
men " he means those in the prime and vigor of a full 
grown manhood ; who are strong, established, and 
carry with them weight and influence for good. By 
"fathers" are meant aged Christians, those ripe for 
heaven, and the glory of the world to come ; who are 
discipled in righteousness, patience and meetness for 
the society of angels and the redeemed in heaven. 
These three classes include the entire Christian brother- 



102 Sermons. 

hood, or ransomed church of God. Of the ''little 
children," and as for a reason for addressing them es- 
pecially, the apostle John affirms two things. First, 
they know the Father. Of course, no one fully and 
perfectly knows the infinite and eternal Father ; yet 
every Christian disciple, however young, knows him 
in a limited and special sense — knows him because 
Christ the Lord has revealed him. "No one knows 
the Father but the Son, and he to whom the Son will 
reveal him." The second thing affirmed by the apos- 
tle of little children is this: "Your sins have been 
forgiven you." You are pardoned, justified, accepted 
in the Beloved. What a mercy is this ! What riches 
of grace are manifest in it ! 

In taking so important a step as that of becoming 
a Christian, in exercising faith and reposing confidence 
in the Christ, in committing your destiny, and your 
soul's great interest for time and eternity to him, in 
confessing him before men, and being baptized into his 
name and death, you should know the purpose for 
which you do these things, the object received and at- 
tained thereby. I will state this object and purpose. 
You should become a Christian, and take all those steps 
necessary thereto: I. That you may obey God, your 
heavenly Father, and by obedience come into right 
relations with him who made you, who preserves you, 
and to whom you are accountable ; that you may come 
into harmony with his will, and into subjection to his 
wise and righteous authority. The will of God is the 
supreme law of the universe, and of every creature in 
it. That will, you and I and all of us should cheerfully 
and promptly obey ; because it is the will of Him who 
is infinitely wise, and good, and gracious, and " he 



Beginning Aright. 103 

who does the will of God abides forever." 2. That 
being born again, by being born of water and the Spirit, 
you may come into the family of God, have sonship 
therein, and become joint-heir with Christ to the inheri- 
tance of glory. ' ' Ye are all sons of God by faith in 
Christ Jesus ; for all ye who are baptized into Christ 
did put on Christ." Christ's true disciples are God's 
children: and, "if children, also heirs, heirs of God 
and joint-heirs with Christ." 3. That you may obtain 
the forgiveness of sins, and an inheritance among the 
sanctified. Of all who are in Christ, we affirm forgive- 
ness — full, free, unmerited. "I write to you, little 
children, because your sins are forgiven." "There is 
therefore now no condemnation to them who are in 
Christ Jesus." " Having forgiven you all trespasses, " 
says the apostle. Can anything be clearer, or more 
decisive than this, as to the extent of the divine for- 
giveness ? A little boy said : " I can not understand 
what becomes of the sins when God takes them away." 
A schoolmate said : " Did you ever do a sum, Willie ? 
When you take the sponge and wipe your slate, what 
becomes of the figures?" " Oh, I see now, " he said ; 
" they are all gone." And God says : " I have blotted 
out thy transgressions. " 4. You should become a Chris- 
tian with this end in view, and for this purpose: that 
you may escape evil influences, and surround yourself 
with good influences. The character of every one is 
largely moulded and his destiny determined by the 
influences that surround him ; and hence it is the im- 
perative duty of every person to leave the companion- 
ship of the unbelieving and ungodly, (whose influence 
upon him is evil and corrupting), and put himself into 
direct association with and under the influence of the 



104 Sermons. 

wise, the good, the virtuous and God-fearing, that he 
may be helped on the way to Heaven. * ' Save yourselves 
from this crooked generation." 5. You should become 
a Christian, that you may receive from Heaven the 
power necessary to obtain the final victory. O how 
weak are the strongest of us ! And without an endue - 
ment of power, grace, help and strength from on high, 
not one of us will ever be saved. But the power is given 
only to those who repent of their sins, believe the gos- 
pel, obey the truth, and put themselves into union and 
fellowship with God and Christ. We not only need 
that help and assistance which come from and through 
association with those who are trying to honor God 
and get to Heaven ; but we need special help from on 
high, which is given in the impartation of the Holy 
Spirit to those who believe, obey the gospel, and ask 
for it in prayer. God magnifies the greatness and 
riches of his own grace, in receiving such poor, weak, 
helpless and unworthy creatures as we are, and not 
only forgiving them, but clothing them with his own 
Spirit, and imparting to them of his own might, 
strength, and wisdom, renewing and transforming 
them, and making them fit for an eternal union with 
himself in Heaven. There are other reasons still why 
you should become a Christian, but these must suffice 
for the present. 

Now having taken these steps, and with the purpo- 
ses in view I have just specified, having yielded your- 
self up to Christ, in consecration and primary obedience 
to the gospel, and having named his name and prom- 
ised allegiance to him, let me say further, the work is 
not done, by any means ; the end is not reached ; indeed, 
it is only begun, rightly begun ; that is all, no more. 



Beginning Aright. 105 

You must fight the good fight of faith ; you must run the 
race set before you ; you must wage the good warfare ; 
you must make your calling and election sure ; you 
must grow up into Christ in all things. "By patient 
continuance in well-doing you are to seek for glory, 
for honor, for immortality, eternal life.'' " Building 
up yourselves on your most holy faith, and praying in 
the Holy Spirit, you must keep yourselves in the love 
of God." You doubtless found it quite hard to com- 
mence, to present yourself as a candidate for baptism, 
to confess the Lord Jesus before others, and be bap- 
tized into a likeness to his death. Before taking those 
initial steps, you halted, hesitated, resolved and re- 
resolved, and your heart failed you more than once. 
Perhaps, prior to coming to the house of worship, you 
said, ' ' I will declare for Christ to-night ; but when the 
time came, courage failed you. You found it difficult; 
but I assure you, there is something more difficult 
still, this, namely : to be conformed to Christ in your 
daily life ; in your temper, will, purposes, desires, inte- 
rior dispositions and external conduct. But, blessed 
be God, this conformity to Christ Jesus is a growth, a 
development ; if it were not, no one of us would ever 
get to heaven. But our God is very patient, and waits 
for the ripe fruit of Christian experience and character. 
In his poem entitled the " Ladder of St. Augustine," 
Longfellow says : 

" The heights by great men reached and kept 
Were not attained by sudden flight, 
But they, while their companions slept, 
Were toiling upward in the night." 

And so, this inward renewal of heart, this transfor- 
mation of soul and spirit into the image of the Re- 



106 Sermons. 

deemer, is attained only by slow degrees, by more and 
more. 

That we may not fail in the attainment of that 
which is indispensable to our eternal salvation, God 
sends forth into our hearts his renewing, transforming 
bpirit to aid us in the struggle, so that we may tri- 
umph, if we are faithful, and constantly seek divine 
help. There are two dangers that evermore beset every 
one who enters upon the Christian life, — dangers that I 
name and point out to you that you may be on your 
guard concerning them. The first is, the danger of 
backsliding, — of going back, instead of forward. In 
other words, ' ' an evil heart of unbelief in departing 
from the living God." This danger will beset you as 
long as you live. I do not believe there is one Chris- 
tian who is free from that danger, I care not how long 
he has been a member of the church. It haunts us at 
every step of the way, and will till we die. True, as 
the good grow older, their danger from this source, I 
believe, becomes less and less ; but my conviction is 
that no one in this life will ever be entirely free from 
this danger. I think there is no one who has had even 
a little experience in the Christian life who does not 
know that "the plague of the heart," as the scripture 
calls it, is unbelief, the danger of drawing backward, 
forsaking Christ to whom you have pledged eternal 
homage, fealty and fidelity. To these young converts 
let me say, watch over your own hearts with ceaseless 
vigilance, and the very moment you discover in your- 
self a change of feelings, or emotion, flee anew to 
Christ, betake ■ yourself to prayer and to the word of 
God, and rest not till you regain what you have lost. 
Guard against the very approaches of drawing back, 



Beginning Aright. 107 

by keeping near Christ, and walking as in the presence 
of Him who searches every heart, and knows every 
thought. The other danger of which I apprise you, 
and against which I would warn you, is that of being 
satisfied with a form of godliness, while lacking its 
power, — of having a name to live, while really dead. 
There are many who do not draw back altogether; 
they do not abandon the church nor forsake entirely 
the ordinances of God's house yet there is very 
little to distinguish them from non-professors. If it 
were not known that they had been baptized, and their 
names were on the church roll, and that they come oc- 
casionally to the Lord's table, you would not know 
they were Christians at all. They are formalists ; they 
have a form of godliness, but not its power. Active, 
faithful, zealous, filling their place well and conscien- 
tiously, attending all the services, at least as many of 
them as they can, bearing their part, sympathizing 
with every good work, and having a hand in it, mak- 
ing themselves useful, working for the advancement of 
Christ's cause, — this is not true of them, — yet it ought 
to be true of every Christian. Beware of formalism ; 
not only have a name to live, but really live, i. e. , have 
Christ's spiritual and eternal life in you. 

I close this discourse with these hints for young 
Christians. 

1. Having come into the church, be resolved to 
stay. Make up your mind to that ; be fully decided 
on this point. Let Joshua's resolution be yours: oth- 
ers may do as they will, but as for me, having connect- 
ed myself with God's Church, I will maintain that 
connection forever. And, if you do not, you will 
never be made a pillar in the church in Heaven. 



108 Sermons. 

2. Never neglect daily private prayer. "Pray in 
secret, and thy Father which seeth in secret will recom- 
pense thee." And if you find yourself becoming less 
fervent than you once were, growing cold and luke- 
warm, pray until your old feelings return. Keep alive 
and always burning in your heart the spirit of prayer 
and true devotion. 

3. Never neglect daily private Bible reading ; and 
remember that God in his word is speaking to you, 
and you are to believe and act upon what he says : 
for by his word we will all be judged at the last day. 

4. Never let a day pass without aiming to do some- 
thing for Christ, by doing something for the good of 
your fellow man. We serve our Master by doing good 
for our fellow creatures. 

Are there any here to-day who have made up their 
minds to go with us to the better country? We invite 
you in the name of our Saviour. Are you weary and 
heavy laden ? Christ says : " Come to me, and I will 
give you rest." Do you long for forgiveness? If you 
believe on, and obey Christ, he will say to you in one 
word: "All thy sins are forgiven thee." Are you 
weak, and do you need strength ? Jesus strengthens 
all his followers with might. Would you have peace ? 
yea, the peace of God that passeth all understanding ? 
Christ says to his disciples: " Peace I leave with you, 
my peace I give to you." Do you want eternal life? 
Jesus says: "My sheep hear my voice, and I know 
them, and they follow me, and I give to them eternal 
life." Nothing higher or more desirable could be 
promised or given. Come, receive, and be blest. 



THE DANGERS OF YOUTH. 

Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones ; 
for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always 
behold the face of my Father which is in heaven. For the 
Son of man is come to save that which was lost. How think 
ye if a man have a hundred sheep, and one of them be gone 
astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into 
the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? And 
if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth 
more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine that went 
not astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father 
which is in heaven that one of these little ones should 
perish. (Matthew xviii. 10-14). 

The gospel of St. Matthew, of which these words 
form a part, is mainly didactic, being marked by five 
great continuous discourses spoken by our Lord to his 
apostles. The Sermon on the Mount, the address to the 
apostles on the occasion of their receiving their first 
commission, the seven parables of the Kingdom of 
Heaven, the discourse on the church and the duty of 
the Christian in forgiveness, and the discourse on the 
Judgment, — the judgment of the Jewish nation, in the 
destruction of Jerusalem because of their rejection of 
the Messiah, and the judgment of the great day at the 
Lord's second advent — these discourses all dwelt on 
the work of the Messiah, as Lawgiver, as Judge, and 
as King. Taking a bird's-eye view of the four gospels, 
and a comprehensive glance at their contents, we see 
that these great truths are set forth in them with re- 
markable plainness and perspicuity : The Messiahship 



no Sermons. 

of Jesus, the central figure in them and in all history ; 
his divine Sonship established by his miracles ; his 
character, and resurrection from the dead ; the Kingdom 
of Heaven, which he came to establish, and of which 
he is the founder ; man's reconciliation to God through 
his death, and his salvation, personal accountability to 
God, and the great day of final reckoning when the se- 
crets of all hearts will be disclosed, and God will ren- 
der to every man according to his deeds. The occur- 
rence mentioned in the context of the passage just read, 
viz : Jesus teaching his disciples as to who is greatest 
in the Kingdom of Heaven by calling a little child to 
him and placing it in the midst of them, took place at 
Capernaum in Galilee, " about the middle of the peri- 
od of our Saviour's ministry." The action was charac- 
teristic of him as a teacher. " Never man spake like 
this man." Soloman was wise, but Jesus is greater in 
wisdom than even Soloman. 

Very often, when asked a question, we are com- 
pelled to say : "I can not answer ; I do not know ; 
my knowledge is not sufficient to answer that ques- 
tion." And our judges of courts of appeals — even 
those who have sat on the bench for forty years — are 
often obliged to say, * ' Decision reserved. 1 will con- 
sider the matter, look up the law, and reply at a future 
time." Not so with Jesus. At all hours he was sub- 
ject to the keenest inquisition, and never said — no 
matter how profound the question — "Decision re- 
served." On the instant, this wonderful man, not yet 
thirty-five years of age, who had never since his infancy 
been out of Palestine, who had studied at no institute 
of human learning, answered all questions propounded 
to him, and, as one has said : "not only answered them 



The Dangers of Youth, hi 

correctly, but in his brief answers brought out without 
a single mistake those principles of casuistry that for 
eighteen hundred years have solved all questions o* 
conscience. What an intellect ! Not one error in all 
his teachings ! Not one error in his moral conduct ! In 
eighteen centuries, during which the human mind has 
been immensely active, and amazingly busy, not one 
iota, not one jot or tittle has been added to the teach- 
ings of Jesus on moral and religious subjects. Does 
the question asked him relate to the resurrection, — 
that most intricate and difficult of subjects ? He answers 
at once, and finds it taught in the Scriptures, where the 
Sadducees least expected to find it. His reply given on 
the instant completely silenced them. Does the ques- 
tion refer to the comparative greatness of the divine 
commandments ? Instantly, he answers, saying : 
"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, 
and all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the 
greatest and first commandment " No marvel that to 
such an answer no reply could be made. Does the 
question relate to man's duty to the civil government 
under which he lives ? Without a moment's hesitation 
he replies: "Render to Caesar the things that are 
Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." Does 
the question relate to comparative greatness of those 
who are citizens in his Kingdom ? Calling a little child to 
him and placing it in the midst of them, he said: 
1 ' Verily I say unto you, if you do not turn and become 
as the little children, you shall not enter into the King- 
dom of Heaven." In the Church of God, men are to 
be estimated, not by their mental power, but by their 
moral excellence and spiritual goodness. He is great- 
est who is humblest, best in love, truth, purity and 



H2 Sermons. 

righteousness : who is most childlike before the great 
Jehovah. Moral, not intellectual distinctions are those 
on which the eye of the heavenly Master rests, and 
which he is quick to perceive. In the further develop- 
ments of the subject now before us, I first name and 
point out to you three great evils, and secondly, the 
remedy therefor. 

There are three things, the effects of which on man's 
moral and spiritual nature are disastrous, and from 
which efifects^it is perhaps quite true to say) he never 
recovers. The first is coming under the power of sin, 
falling under the dominion of any great sin, base 
appetite or degrading passion ; in other words, losing 
one's childhood purity, virtue, innocence, guiltlessness. 
Unhappy and unfortunate is that boy or girl of whom 
this is true, who takes the first step in wrong doing, 
in conscious departure from the law of purity, of recti- 
tude and goodness. Thrice happy and fortunate is he or 
she who retains throughout life that purity, innocence, 
moral simplicity and ignorance of vice, iniquity and sin 
that belongs to childhood. Avoid the first step, the 
first and least departure from the straight and narrow 
way. An impure mind, an unchaste imagination, evil 
thoughts given a lodgment in the soul, base and corrupt- 
ing desires, are awful evils, and are to be dreaded and 
prayed against. The first cigar smoked, the first quid 
of tobacco chewed, the first glass of beer drank, the 
first lie told, the first profane word spoken, the first 
smutty joke told, the first hour spent in the company 
of the wicked, is often the beginning of a career, the 
results of which are complete moral ruin and the wreck 
of all hope for the future. The sin you commit may 
be forgiven ; God in his great mercy, and for Christ's 



The Dangers of Youth. 113 

sake, may pardon it; but the injury done to your moral 
nature, can that ever be remedied ? It is doubtful. 
Your childhood purity and innocence, can they ever be 
restored ? I trow not. Sin ! oh, it weakens the moral 
nature, and inflicts upon it irreparable injury. And 
then again, the danger that sin will soon acquire the 
complete mastery over you. Let a young man get 
drunk a few times, — just a few times; the probability 
is he will die a drunkard's death ; if not, he will have a 
fight to fight till he dies, and will never be safe until he 
is under the sod. So much does any evil habit weaken 
the moral and spiritual nature of man, and throw him 
into constant peril. Let a woman live a lewd and un- 
chaste life for a while, and though she may repent and 
escape, and be sorry, regret the past and wish it were 
eradicated from the records of her life, and resolve a 
hundred times to do better, the probability is — unless 
she is braced up on all sides by good influences — that 
after a time she will go back to her dissolute life. Oh, 
the evil of sin ! Who understands it aright? Who fears 
it as he ought ? It is fools who make a mock of sin. 
On my right arm there is a scar fully three inches long, 
and an inch at the widest place, yet the injury which 
produced that scar I received so long ago that I can not 
remember it. When a very little fellow, I was thrown 
from a sled against the slivers of a newly made stump 
and the flesh of my arm torn ; it has healed, but the 
scar is there, and will be always So with sin ; it may 
be forgiven, but it leaves a scar in the moral nature ; its 
effects abide, and perhaps will forever. 

The second evil which I name, and against which I 
warn you, is that of imbibing false doctrines ; receiving 
and entertaining unscriptural notions. The effect of this 



H4 Sermons. 

on the religious and spirtual nature of man is little bet- 
ter than impurity and wickedness of life ; because the 
former leads to the latter. A man's whole life, char- 
acter, conduct and destiny is controlled, governed and 
determined by his belief or his disbelief. Let a young 
man, or any man, become sceptical ; let him begin to 
entertain doubts as to the divine origin, and supreme 
authority of the Bible, and at once the tone of his 
whole moral being is lowered ; he sinks to a lower level, 
and lives on a lower plane ; and then he commits sins, 
— sins which, when a believer, he would have shuddered 
at the thought of committing. And how many people 
have had their religious life impaired, and their influ- 
ence for good destroyed by speculations, and false no- 
tions ? Christ likens the doctrine of the Pharisees and 
Sadducees to leaven, saying : "Take heed, and beware 
of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." He 
meant not the leaven of bread, but of their doctrine, 
their teaching. False doctrine is pernicious, and only 
pernicious , in its effects on the higher nature of man. 
And the true test is the effect of the doctrine you 
believe on your heart, life and character. The true 
doctrine, Paul says, is in order to godliness. The doc- 
trine you embrace should make you godly, pious, 
prayerful, more earnest in the service of your Master ; it 
should fill you with a dread of sin, and bind you by a 
sense of a personal accountability to God and to his 
eternal throne in personal allegiance. 

The third evil I name, and against which I warn 
you, is that of hearing with the ear without obeying 
with the heart. You may be entirely moral and up- 
right in your deportment ; you may be addicted to no 
bad habits ; you may be sound in your theological 



The Dangers of Youth. 115 

views ; but if you do not obey the truth ; if you do not 
yield yourself up in solemn dedication to Him who died 
for you, and calls you to himself in the personal sur. 
render of all you have and are to him, there is going on 
in your soul a process of hardening, that will by and by 
work out your ruin. In great mercy and condescen- 
sion, God expostulates with men, saying : * ' To-day if 
you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts." 
Notice, it is against hardening his own heart that God 
warns man and expostulates with him. How is the 
heart hardened? Just as Pharaoh's was, by resisting 
the truth, by rejecting the evidence given that Moses 
was Jehovah's messsnger, sent by him to redeem the 
people ; thus Pharaoh hardened his own heart, and he 
was overthrown. Now Christ is preached ; the gospel is 
proclaimed ; salvation is offered ; the evidence of his 
divine mission — to those who will duly consider it — is 
ample, conclusive, sufficient to convince the under- 
standing, and win the heart. But if you reject Christ 
and the gospel, refuse to receive him, turn away from 
it in indifference and cold unconcern ; if you hear, un- 
derstand, believe, and obey not ; if you do not yield to 
Christ in consecration and self- surrender, gradually but 
very certainly your heart will be hardened, and the 
consequences will be disastrous. Here are two balls, 
one of clay, and the other of ice. Lay them on a flat 
surface and expose them to the light of the sun ; the 
ball of ice is softened and melted, while the ball of clay 
is hardened by the action of the sun. The same Christ 
is preached to two people ; the same motives are urged 
for obedience ; the same redemption is proffered ; the 
same heaven is set forth as the ultimate reward of faith 
and obedience ; the one yields, surrenders, is drawn to 



1 1 6 Sermons. 

Christ, is sanctified by faith in him, and glorified with 
him in the world to come ; the other resists, rejects, 
disobeys, turns away his ear from receiving the word 
of life, is hardened, condemned, rejected of God and 
given over to blindness ; his life ends in despair, and 
" for him the blackness of darkness is reserved forever. " 
Thus it is that the gospel is to every one who hears it 
either a " savor of life unto life, or of death unto death. " 
The gospel either justifies, or condemns ; it either saves 
man with a great and eternal salvation, or condemns 
him with an awful condemnation ; it lifts him to the 
throne, and places him thereupon, or it consigns him 
to the outer darkness, " where there is weeping and 
gnashing of teeth." By the worth of your own soul, 
by the importance and necessity of salvation, by the 
fear of incurring the divine displeasure, by the happi- 
ness of the saved, by the joy of forgiveness, by the hope 
of heaven, by the glories of the world to come, by 
everything pure and good and sacred, I entreat you not 
to harden your hearts by procrastination, by further 
resistance to the truth, or delay in consecrating your- 
self to Christ. 

Yield to him, be drawn to him by his love to you, 
and death for your sins ; come to him in faith, in trust, 
in self-devotement. When you go home to-day, what 
will you do this afternoon ? How will you spend the 
precious hours of this Lord's day? Go into your clos- 
et, seek a quiet place where you can be alone with 
your God, who knows your heart ; fall upon your 
knees, humble yourself before him, confess your sins, 
make a full, frank, and true confession ; seek forgive- 
ness and help to do better in the future; resolve 
henceforth to be a true believer, and begin to act upon 



The Dangers of Youth. 117 

the faith you have, by doing the will of God ; joy and 
peace will spring up in your heart ; light from above 
will break in upon your soul ; heaven will open to you, 
and Christ will become precious. 

I need say no more to-day. The presentation of 
the remedy for the evils I have pointed out must be 
deferred till another time. Hear the voice of mercy 
calling thee to Christ Jesus. Ye young, ye middle 
aged, ye old, if any there be here, come to the fount- 
ain of life eternal. The Father himself calls thee, and 
Heaven will rejoice over thy coming. 



OUR DUTY TO THE YOUNG. 

Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones : 
for I say unto you, that in heaven their angels do always 
behold the face of my Father which is in heaven. For the 
Son of man is come to save that which was lost. How think 
ye ? If a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be 
gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth 
into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray ? 
And if it so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoic- 
eth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine that 
went not astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father 
which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should per- 
ish (Matthew xviii. 10-14). 

In the discourse spoken on last Lord's day, at the 
morning service, I named and pointed out to you three 
great evils, — three things whose effects on man's moral 
and religious nature are most calamitous, and from 
whose effects it is perhaps quite true to say, he never 
fully recovers ; certainly not in this life, and is not 
likely to in the life to come. The first is, falling under 
the power of sin ; coming under the dominion of any 
evil habit, appetite or passion ; being taken captive by 
any kind of sin, transgression or iniquity. In other 
words, the loss of one's childhood purity, innocence, sim- 
plicity and unaffectedness. 

This enfeebles the moral nature, weakens the relig- 
ious faculties God has given man, and inflicts upon him 
irreparable injury. This produces a sense of shame, a 
consciousness of personal guilt in the sight of God, a 
feeling of estrangement from him, and an unwillingness 



Our Duty to the Young. 119 

to come into his presence, or have his all-seeing eye 
rest upon us. This is illustrated in the feeling and con- 
duct of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden after the 
first transgression. " They heard the voice of the Lord 
God walking in the garden in the cool of the day." 
Afraid of God ! Why afraid of him ? Is he not the 
good One ? Is he not supremely good, kind, mercifux 
and gracious ? Afraid of him because they had sinned 
against him, transgressed his law ; and hence the con- 
sciousness of guilt, and the desire to flee from his pres- 
ence. It was a knowledge of good and evil, through 
eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good 
and evil, that wrought the ruin of the first human pair. 
It is better — greatly better, I think, to have no personal 
knowledge of or experimental acquaintance with moral 
wrong ; better as it respects this life, and better for our 
life to come. 

The tremendous evil of sin, manifested in its hered- 
itary effects transmitted to posterity, is seen in the fact 
that Cain, the first born son of Adam and Eve, was a 
murderer : he slew his brother. How could this have 
been, had not Adam's moral nature been greatly cor- 
rupted and depraved by a single transgression ? Thus, 
not the sinner alone, but succeeding generations, are 
affected by his sin ! What an argument is this for 
personal purity, and perpetual striving after holiness ! 

The second great evil to which I directed your at- 
tention is that of imbibing false doctrines, unscriptural 
views, heretical notions concerning the Bible, or the 
great fundamental truths of redemption. False doc- 
trine is pernicious, and only pernicious, in its effects on 
the human mind, heart and life. 

The third evil I specified is that of hearing with the 



1 20 Sermons. 

ear, without obeying with the heart. By this the heart 
is hardened, and man's salvation rendered extemely 
difficult and uncertain. 

I proceed now to present the remedy for these evils. 
There is a remedy for these evils, — a sovereign, effica. 
cious, all-sufficient remedy ; a specific remedy ; but 
like the remedies that exist in nature for various dis- 
eases that fasten themselves on the human system, it is 
of no use whatever unless it be applied; you must 
avail yourself of its virtues. 

The remedy for the first evil is this : the moral and 
religious instruction of children ; their training in the 
nurture and admonition of the Lord. This is the one 
great remedy against the loss of childhood purity, 
innocence, ingenuousness and simplicity; teaching, in- 
struction, discipline, training — not in grammar, arith- 
metic and geography, but in the great truths and 
principles of the word of God; moral culture, 
religious instruction and admonition. And joined 
with this, earnest, prayerful efforts to bring children 
and young people under the influence of the gospel 
in the church, persuading them to commit themselves 
personally and practically to Christ in a public confes- 
sion of their faith and trust in him before men. This 
is the remedy, — childhood culture, early religious in- 
struction, training in a knowledge of the Bible. Now 
who is to give this instruction to the young? Who are 
to be the first and principal teachers of children ? Evi- 
dently their parents. They are the natural guardians, 
protectors and helpers of their children ; and natural 
affection, to say nothing about the great question of 
personal religion and salvation, should incite them to 
faithfulness in the discharge of this duty. Our public 



Our Duty to the Young. 121 

schools are not established for the religious education 
of the young. Being called into existence by the 
state, and supported by the state funds, they exist for 
secular ends, and the instruction given in them is de- 
signed to make good citizens, no more. The religious 
teaching and training gjjven in the Sunday-school is 
little compared with what children need in order to 
their higher good. But few children, comparatively, 
attend the services of public worship ; far more should 
be required to attend than do ; hence, the instruction 
given in the pulpit is not sufficient. We therefore 
turn away from the public school, from the Sunday 
school, and from the church services, to the family, the 
home circle, the parental roof, and say, that is the 
place where moral and religious instruction is to be 
given, and parents ai e to be the teachers, — and that by 
divine command, a solemn injunction coming from the 
eternal throne, and from Him who sits thereon. Under 
every dispensation, Patriarchal, Jewish and Christian, 
Jehovah by his supreme authority devolved upon pa- 
rents — not Sunday-school teachers — the duty of im- 
parting moral and religious instruction to their children. 
And I know not what punishment would be too 
severe for that man or woman who dares to assume the 
responsibilities of fatherhood or motherhood, and yet 
neglects the moral instruction, the religious training 
and culture of their children. If it is wicked to allow 
your children to grow up in ignorance, to neglect to 
send them to school, that they may get in early life 
such an education as will fit them for honorable and 
intelligent citizenship, how much more wicked is it to 
neglect their moral culture and development, their re- 
ligious instruction, their growth in a knowledge of the 



122 Sermons. 

Holy Scriptures, in which knowledge is imbedded the 
foundation of a Christian life and character ? But if it is 
wicked in the sight of God to neglect the secular edu- 
cation of the young, who can compute the guilt of 
those who permit their children to grow up destitute of 
moral training, and religious instruction ? What crimi- 
nal neglect is this ! Children are capable of being 
taught ; they must be taught, or they will certainly go 
astray. The basis and foundation of good character is 
laid in early Christian training, and the neglect of this 
is the greatest possible calamity that can befall a child. 
Furthermore, I believe in doctrinal teaching of chil- 
dren ; in catechizing them, in asking them questions 
which they are to answer, and thus indoctrinating them 
in the great fundamental truths and principles of the 
word of God. In no other way that I know of can 
they become established, made stable, or have any 
fixed religious views ; and it is my conviction that 
a child of ordinary understanding, by the time it is ten 
years of age, can be made quite intelligent in the Holy 
Scriptures. All you who understand the New Testa- 
ment will very readily concede who Jesus is, and to 
confess him in the claim that he makes as to who he 
is. Ask a child the question, Who is Jesus? and teach 
it to give the scriptural answer: "He is Christ, the 
Son of the living God." 

I do not believe in infant baptism, and infant 
church membership, and for this reason: it contra- 
venes the great fundamental principle of all true relig- 
ion, viz. : Freedom, voluntariness, free and unforced 
assent to the truth, and personal acceptance of Him 
who came to be the deliverer, the Lord Christ. In 
religion every step taken, every service rendered, every 



Our Duty to the Young. 123 

act of obedience, must be voluntary, unconstrained, 
and spring from faith and love to Christ. No one 
should be baptized but those who want to be, who es- 
teem it both a privilege and duty to be, who believe 
on Christ, who are sorry for their past sins, and desire 
to obey Him, their Lord and Saviour. As in marriage, 
the parties must choose for themselves, and the mar- 
riage ceremony is performed, because they love each 
other, have faith in and trust each other, and wish to 
walk the same pathway through life ; so in baptism and 
church membership, they must be sought by every one 
who would enjoy the blessings springing from them ; 
and unless sought, they can not be enjoyed. But 
while believing this, I also believe that children, if 
taught as they should be, are capable of believing on 
Christ, and making an intelligent confession of their 
faith at a much earlier age than is generally supposed. 
Children believe ; they accept readily, and without hes- 
itation, what is told and taught them ; they never 
doubt until they learn by experience that they have 
been deceived ; they trust in others ; this is their na- 
ture ; they are artless, guiltless, unaffected, ingenuous 
and innocent. 

Now what is the true idea of a Christian life and 
character ? To retain throughout life the simplicity, 
purity, innocence, ingenuousness, and trusting spirit of 
childhood ; and as life advances, to acquire the wisdom, 
experience, strength and knowledge of full grown man- 
hood. Is there anything better than that ? Simplicity 
and majesty ; purity and strength ; unaffectedness and 
experience ; innocence and wisdom ; guiltlessness and 
power ; these united in the same character, existing 
together in the same personality. Do they not form a 



124 Sermons. 

character with which our God is well pleased? Can 
there be anything nobler or higher than such a char- 
acter ? It is the delight of Christ. It pleases him to 
whom we are to give an account at the last day. And 
if a man lives to be forty, sixty, or one hundred 
years old, and desires to become a Christian, and enter 
the kingdom of heaven, he must return to the humility, 
simplicity, and trusting spirit of childhood. The great 
Teacher says: "Verily I say to you, if you do not 
turn and become as the little children, ye shall not 
enter into the kingdom of heaven." The child's mind 
is adduced by our Saviour as the type of a regenerated 
mind. "To such as are childlike belongs the kingdom 
of God." 

The remedy for the second evil I named is the 
same as the remedy for the first, viz : scriptural 
knowledge, acquaintance with "'the word of God. Fill 
the heart and mind with a knowledge of the word, and 
this will prevent error form getting a lodgment in the 
heart, or root it out, if it is already there. 

The remedy for the third evil, mentioned, viz., 
hearing with the ear without obeying from the heart, 
is this : prompt obedience, instant submission, begin- 
ning, at once, to do the will of God from the heart. 

No one should defer till to-morrow what he ought 
to do to-day. The obligation to obey God to-day is 
just as weighty as it will be to-morrow; and it is defer- 
ring duty, postponing the great transaction, listening 
to the truth without receiving it into the heart, 
hearing but not obeying, — it is this that hardens the 
heart. 

"Procrastination is the thief of time; hour after 
hour, day after day, and year after year, it steals away, 



Our Duty to the Young. 125 

till all are gone, and to the mercies of a moment leaves 
the vast concerns of an eternal scene." This is the 
one thing needful, viz. : self-renunciation, and self-sur- 
render, the yielding up of the will and heart to God in 
Christ, saying in the depths of the soul : " Here, Lord, 
I give myself to thee ; thou henceforth my all shalt 
be ; I accept thy will as my guide, and thy salvation 
offered ; save me, deliver me, control me, sanctify 
me, and help me to be truly thine." This is first ; 
then begin to do all those outward acts which are 
required by, and which express, this state of mind, — 
acknowledgment of Christ before men, baptism, mem- 
bership in the church, a life of conformity and submis- 
sion to the Divine will. When our Saviour was on 
earth, one said to him : "Lord, I will follow thee ; but 
permit me first to go bury my father. v % Jesus said to 
him : "Let the dead bury their own dead : but do thou 
go and announce the Kingdom of God." Another 
said : "I will follow thee ; but first permit me to bid 
farewell to those in my house." And Jesus said unto 
him : " No one having put his hand to the plow and 
looking back is fit for the Kingdom of God. " The moral 
of our Lord's teaching in these passages is this : your 
duty to God is first, highest and most imperative ; let 
nothing whatever interfere with the prompt perform- 
ance of that duty. Going to a funeral, even that of 
your father, bidding farewell to others, anything of this 
kind is of trifling importance compared with this one 
great question. 



THE CHURCH OF GOD. 

Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the 
Church, and gave himself for it ; that he might sanctify and 
cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he 
might present it to himself a glorious Church, not having 
spot or wrinkle, or any such thing ; but that it should be 
holy and without blemish. (Ephesians v. 25-27). 

We assemble to-day in a house of worship, re-fres- 
coed, cleaned and put in order. The work done was 
much needed. Let these improved surroundings 
awaken in us earnest longings for that purity of heart 
and life with which God is well pleased. The place 
where Christians meet for prayer and praise, to send up 
to the throne of grace their fervent desires, should be a 
model of cleanliness, neatness, order and good taste. 
Everything should comport with the honor, grandeur 
and glory of Him whom we worship and adore. The 
tabernacle of testimony erected in the wilderness, and 
the temple at Jerusalem, were costly structures; vast 
sums of silver and gold, the choicest woods, and the 
most expensive coverings, were used in their construc- 
tion. Nothing is too good to be given to our God, or 
to be employed in his worship. Nothing is too pre- 
cious to be consecrated to Christ. The better, the more 
precious anything is, the stronger the reason for giving 
it to Him, — to Him who gave himself for us, and on 
whom rest all our hopes. The subject chosen for 
instruction and meditation this morning is the Church — 

the house of God, and the kingdom of heaven on earth ; 
126 



The Church of God. 127 

her foundation and Head ; the conditions of member- 
ship therein ; her union with Christ and personal re- 
lation to God ; the privileges and duties of her 
members, and her destiny in the world to come. Of 
these different parts of the one great subject I shall 
speak to you to-day. The word church is used in four 
different senses. It means, first, the building in which 
Christian people meet for worship. The temple at 
Jerusalem was called the house of the Lord ; that 
building Jehovah claimed as his own. It is written : 
" My house shall be called a house of prayer for all 
nations." Secondly, it signifies a local congregation 
of believers ; as the church at Corinth, the chureh at 
Rome, the church at Thessalonica. Thirdly, it means, 
in the current speech of the present day, a denomina- 
tion ; as the Presbyterian Church, the Baptist Church, 
the Methodist Church. But as the New Testament 
knows nothing of denominations, the word church is 
not used in this sense in the Scriptures. Fourthly, it 
means the whole great company of the redeemed, the 
entire family and people of God. This is the most 
common meaning of the word in the New Testament. 
The Church, i. e., the Christian brotherhood, the great 
redeemed family, a part of which is on earth, and a 
part in heaven, the saved, the chosen, the elect, those 
sanctified in Christ Jesus, and preserved in God the 
Father, all in every place who call on the name of 
Christ Jesus our Lord, both their Lord and ours — this 
is the Church to which we should belong, and of which 
I speak to-day. It is called the Church of God ten or 
twelve times, doubtless to indicate her origin. Jeho- 
vah God is her Creator, former, maker. He calls her 
into existence by his power, wisdom and grace ; he is 



128 Sermons. 

her Redeemer God, her Almighty Preserver, her 
Sanctifier and Defender. To him she owes her exist- 
ence, preservation and hope. Of the Church Jehovah 
says : ' * This people I have formed for myself, they 
shall show forth my praise." Again, " I have created 
him for my glory ; I have formed him ; yea, I have 
made him." These words, coming from the mouth 
of the Lord himself, shows us two things ; first, that 
the Church owes her existence to the will, power and 
grace of God ; and, secondly, the primary design of 
her existence is the manifestation of the divine per- 
fections, the glory and praise of the Most High. There- 
fore it is called the Church of God. Other designa- 
tions given to it are such as these: "The house of 
God;" "Christ as a Son over God's house, whose 
house are we, if we hold fast the beginning of our con- 
fidence steadfast to the end;" "the household of 
God, the temple of God, a holy temple in the Lord ;" 
the "city of God," God's building, the glorious struc- 
ture which he is erecting to the eternal honor of his 
own name, and the eternal salvation of sinners ; God's 
husbandry, the field he is tilling, the farm he is culti- 
vating, his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto 
good works ; he is re-creating the Church, molding and 
fashioning her in his own image, redeeming her from 
sin, establishing her in purity and holiness, and thus 
preparing her for an eternal abode with himself in glory. 
Therefore she is fitly termed his workmanship. The 
Church is Christ's inheritance, his purchased possession, 
his bride, his jewels, his special treasures. She is be- 
trothed to Christ, and her ultimate destiny is to share 
with him in that eternal glory with which he has been 
crowned. " I will betroth thee unto me forever; yea, 



The Church of God. 129 

I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in 
judgment, in loving kindness, and in mercies. I will 
even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness ; and thou 
shalt know the Lord." Know him as thine for ever- 
more. 

The foundation of the Church is Christ, the Son of 
God, the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and 
truth; in whom dwelleth all the fullness of the God- 
head bodily. 

In Isaiah it is written : " Thus saith the Lord God, 
Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a pre- 
cious corner-stone, a sure foundation." The founda- 
tion-stone in this glorious temple which our God is 
rearing during the lapse of the ages is Christ. He is 
the stone which was set at naught by the Jewish build- 
ers, but which God made the head of the corner. He 
is the rock on which the Church is built. He sustains 
the entire superstructure ; it rests on him as its basis 
and firm support. " Other foundation can no man lay 
than that which is laid, which is Jesus the Christ." 
Whosoever rests on him will never be disappointed. 
He is the mighty Deliverer, the great Divine Redeem- 
er, victorious over death, and able to rescue his people. 
Christ is also the head of the Church ; head in the sense 
of chief, principal, superior, to whom others are subor- 
dinate. The Church is subjected to him. Ci God gave 
him to be head over all things to the Church, which is 
his body." Such are the Saviour's relations to the 
Church, its redeemer, deliverer, head, foundation, chief 
corner-stone. He is not separate and apart from the 
Church, but of it, and his triumph over death is the 
sure and certain pledge of ours. The conditions of 
membership in the Church. Would you belong to 



130 Sermons. 

her, and enjoy the privileges of citizenship in this di- 
vine institution ? Would you be one of God's children, 
a member of Christ's body, and be gathered with all 
the righteous into the fold of the redeemed ? You 
must accept Jesus the Christ as your Prophet, Priest 
and King;; you must believe on him, trust him, rely on 
and rest upon him with your whole heart. As the pa- 
tient yields himself up to the physician, in full confi- 
dence, to be treated by him, putting his life into his 
hands, so must you yield yourself up to Christ, to be 
saved, guided, sanctified and governed by him. 

By repentance you must forsake all sin, cease to do 
evil, learn to do well, walk uprightly, work righteous- 
ness, speak the truth in your heart, live in love toward 
man and in the practice of all good works. You must 
confess Christ before men, publicly and with the 
mouth, thus personally accepting him, and avowing 
allegiance to him. " With the heart man believeth 
unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is 
made unto salvation." You must be baptized into the 
name of Christ our Lord. Baptism is a condition of 
membership in the Church of God. "He that believ- 
eth and is baptized shall be saved." " Repent and be 
baptized upon the name of Jesus Christ for the remis- 
sion of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy 
Spirit." "They that gladly received his word were 
baptized." " Many of the Corinthians hearing, believed 
and were baptized." During the past year I preached 
a sermon in which I brought to notice all those expres- 
sions in the New Testament which show us into whom 
and into what believers are baptized, and we found them 
to be six or seven in number. Faith, repentance, 
confession and baptism are the conditions of member- 



The Church of God. 131 

ship in the Church of God on earth. And further, the 
terms of continued membership are continued faith, 
continued love and loyalty to Christ, continued fellow- 
ship with him in the Church, and in obedience to his 
will, growth in a character that resembles that of Jesus 
our divine Lord. Prayer, progress in the knowledge 
of the Scriptures, the observance of the Lord's supper, 
benevolence, alms-giving and good works are the 
conditions of continued membership in the Church of 
God. 

What is the design of the Church ; the end or pur- 
pose God has in view in her creation, establishment 
and preservation in the world ? Of course the primary 
design of the Church is to save sinners, to redeem the 
lost, to rescue the fallen, to bring back to God, and 
establish in faith, love and allegiance to him those who 
by sin and transgression had fallen into helplessness 
and hopelessness. Then, further, the Church has been 
called into existence by the Lord God to manifest to 
the universe the divine perfections, to make known to 
other worlds and to the inhabitants of other parts of 
Jehovah's vast domains his true character. "To the 
principalities and powers in the heavenly places is be- 
ing-made known the manifold wisdom of God." " In 
the ages to come he will show the exceeding richness 
of his grace in his kindness toward us in Christ Jesus." 
The scheme of redemption, the center of which is 
Christ's great atonement, is far-reaching in its influences 
and effects ; it extends to remote worlds, to angels, 
principalities and powers in the heavens ; and gives 
them such a disclosure of the divine perfections and the 
attributes of Jehovah as they never had before, and 
perhaps never will have again. 



132 Sermons. 

Further, the Church exists that she may conserve 
the truth God has revealed to her by the Spirit, and 
publish it throughout the world. " We are to contend 
earnestly for the faith once for all delivered to the 
saints." She is to keep in its purity, and free from 
human philosophy, opinion and speculation, the holy 
truth God has given by inspiration. And then she is 
to carry this truth, and proclaim it to the ends of the 
earth. She is to fill the world with missionaries, and 
publish the glad tidings everywhere. She is a great 
missionary institution for the conversion of the world ; 
and your life is in harmony with the design of God, in 
calling you into the Church, only in just so far as you 
are seeking this end. 

The destiny of the Church, what will it be ? Of course 
the destiny of each Christian is the destiny of the en- 
tire Church. In ages that are to come, in the bound- 
less future, in the vast eternity that stretches on before 
us, where and what shall we be ? The destiny of the 
saved is to be the same as the destiny of the Saviour. 
He was once on earth in human form, speaking, pray- 
ing, going about doing good, agonizing in the garden, 
on the cross crucified, dead, buried ; but where is he 
now ? Not only raised, restored to life, and invested 
with an immortal body, but exalted to heaven, crowned 
with glory and honor, forever victorious over death 
and the grave, reigning over the universe, sitting at the 
right hand of God, in the glorious heavens. So the 
Church, having fulfilled her mission on earth, her mem- 
bers one by one die, go into the grave in the likeness 
of the Redeemer, not to remain there, but to rise again, 
to emerge from the tomb, to be exalted to heaven, to 
be invested with an immortal, glorious and incorruptible 



The Church of God. 133 

body, to be crowned with honor from on high, to be 
glorified with Christ, to reign with him forever, to sit 
on his throne, to be like him, and to see him as he is. 
In regard to this particular thought, the New Testa- 
ment reveals that the Church and the Saviour have a 
common destiny. Knowing what his destiny is, we 
know what ours will be, if we are faithful unto death. 
Glorified with him, obtain the glory of our Lord 
Jesus Christ we shall see him as he is, be like him in 
position, in state, in honor, in glory, in happiness, im- 
mortal, crowned in the kingdom of God as an heir of 
immortality, supremely happy, in unsullied array, holy 
and blameless. That is the Christian's destiny. This 
is the object of our hope. 

In the passage read as a text the apostle sets forth, 
first, the exceeding great love of Christ for the Church ; 
secondly, his death for her redemption ; thirdly, the 
immediate and remote object of his love and death, 
her cleansing and sanctification. ' ' That he might sanc- 
tify it, having cleansed it with the washing of water by 
the word." Did time permit, I might speak of the 
dignity and honor of membership in the Church, of 
citizenship in the kingdom of heaven, of peace with 
God flowing from justification, of fullness of joy in be- 
lieving, of quietness, assurance and hope, in the pros- 
pect of death, eternity and judgment ; of the blessedness 
of service rendered to God and man ; of communion 
and fellowship with the Most High, and of that peace 
that marks the departure of the good man, and his en- 
trance into the glory of life beyond. May we all be 
members of the Church of God and joint-heirs with 
Christ to an eternal inheritance. 

And now, before closing, I think it not only proper 



134 Sermons. 

and right, but necessary, and indeed called for by the 
circumstances, to give you a brief statement of the re- 
ligious views held by the Christian Church, or Disciples 
of Christ, with which body this Church and congrega- 
tion is to be identified. What do we believe ? What are 
our distinctive views ? Wherein do we agree with, and 
wherein differ from other religious bodies ? And do we 
differ so much from others as to justify us in maintain- 
ing a separate existence ? I am pleased to be able to 
state that with the bodies known as orthordox, or 
evangelical, we hold many things in common ; indeed 
there is scarcely anything recognized by them as essen- 
tial or vital that is not as truly and as firmly held by 
us as by them. I may state in part that we believe 
that the immersion of believers in the name or by the 
authority of Christ, into the name of the Father, Son, 
and Holy Spirit, was the original and apostolic bap- 
tism. Therefore we reject infant baptism, and of course 
infant membership, believing that the Church consists 
of regenerated persons, of adults, obedient believers, of 
such as have repented of their sins, confessed them, and 
upon their personal, voluntary profession have been 
baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, thus surren- 
dering themselves to him, and placing themselves under 
his guidance and authority. We make no conditions of 
membership in the Church except what Christ has 
made conditions of salvation. We impose upon others 
and require their assent to nothing but what is expressly 
revealed in the New Testament. "He that believes 
and is baptized shall be saved ;" and, being saved, is 
entitled to membership in the Church. 

We believe in and practice the weekly observance 
of the Lord's supper. This, beyond all question, was 



The Church of God. 135 

the primitive and apostolic custom, and this we regard 
as a part of every Lord's day worship, and essential to 
the full and complete sanctification of the first day of 
the week. " The disciples came together on the first 
day of the week to break bread." They "continued 
steadfastly in the doctrine of the apostles, and in the 
fellowship, and in the breaking of the loaf, and in the 
prayers." We should do the same. 

We believe in the scripturalness, necessity and prac- 
ticability of Christian union. Christ's disciples should be 
one as the Father and Son are one. For this union 
Jesus fervently prayed, and we should do all we can to 
realize it, that the world may be converted to him. 
The children of God should be perfectly joined together 
in the same mind and in the same judgment ; there 
should be no divisions among them ; no sects, no con- 
flicting or opposing parties. They should be one in 
their faith, — in the doctrine they hold as essential to 
salvation ; one in their aims, efforts, and grand purpo- 
ses. Indeed the great inspiring motive that led to this 
religious movement with which we are identified, and 
which organized it, was the desire for union among the 
people of God. For this the Campbells wrote, preached, 
labored and prayed. Their efforts and ours should not 
be to build up a sect, or add to the number of denomi- 
nations already existing, but to extend the kingdom 
of Christ, to enlighten and save souls, to convert the 
unconverted, and edify believers. Our efforts have 
made themselves felt ; the principles we advocate have 
extended until now we have churches in every state 
in this great Union, in Canada, in Australia, in New 
Zealand, in Great Britain. We have missions and 
missionaries in France, in Denmark, in Turkey, in 



1 36 Sermons. 

India, in Japan, in Jamaica and on the isthmus of Pan- 
ama, besides our home missions. May the number of 
these be multipled a thousand fold. And may the di- 
vine blessing richly rest on the Disciples in their efforts 
to preach and maintain the pure Gospel. Many are 
enlisted and are working with earnestness and fidelity 
in the good cause, but not all. We want more. The 
children, boys and girls, young men and women, the 
middle-aged, the old, and everybody. There is room 
for all, and work for all in the great harvest-field. 
We, my brethren should be the foremost and most 
zealous missionary people in the world : and this for 
two reasons. First, we have no human doctrines to 
teach. Second, we believe and teach that the Holy 
Spirit is given to the Church, and that through the 
Church God works for the enlightenment and salvation 
of the world. Now the practical question is, What are 
we doing to give the bread of life to the hungry, and 
the water of life to the thirsty? Each one must an 
swer that question for himself. And amid the excite- 
ment of business, and the eager and ofttimes mad rush 
for worldly gain, let us not forget that on which our 
destiny will turn : first, such a character as is described 
by the apostle Peter in the first chapter of his second 
epistle; and second the benevolent action described by 
our divine Lord in the twenty-fifth chapter of Matthew. 
This thought in conclusion. That Judgment to 
which we haste is practically near to us every one. 
Practically it comes to every man at death, and is death 
far away from you ? We are to be judged for the deeds 
done in the body, i. e. t during this life. As death 
comes to us, the Judgment will find us. Therefore be 
sober, and watch unto prayer. 



THE SECURITY OF GOD'S PEOPLE. 

Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect ? 
It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth ? It 
is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is 
even at the right hand of God, who also maketh interces- 
sion for us. (Rom. viii. 33, 34). 

Following the order in which these words were 
written by the holy apostle, I shall inquire, first, as to 
who are God's elect or chosen. Secondly, the five- 
fold reason given by the inspired writer why no charge 
or accusation brought against them will ever be sus- 
tained. "Who shall lay anything,"?', e., who shall 
accuse, bring an accusation, implead or institute judi- 
cial proceedings against God's elect?" The question 
or interrogation implies a strong negation, i. e., no 
one. And in the words immediately following, the 
apostle states five considerations, or gives five reasons 
why the question must receive a negative answer ; why 
no accusation, by whomsoever made, against God's 
elect will ever be sustained. 

It is important, in the first place, to settle definitely 
the question, who are God's elect ; for while no accusa- 
tion against the elect will" ever meet with the divine 
approval, it is certain that charges brought against the 
non-elect will be sustained by the omnipotent Judge. 
To elect is to choose, to pick out, to select, to choose 
out as recipients of favor and privilege. God's elect 
are simply God's chosen. Our election is of, from 

and by God the Father. He chooses, elects or selects. 

137 



138 Sermons. 

He makes choice of certain ones, e. g., he elected 
Abraham to be the founder of the great Jewish 
family, to be the ancestor of Christ, and the receiver 
of the promises. He elected Isaac and Jacob to be 
heirs with Abraham of the same promise. He elected 
the whole nation of Israel, which, collectively and as 
one whole, is called his elect. ' ' For Jacob, my 
servant's sake, and Israel mine elect." The great 
Father chose Jesus, his beloved Son, to be the Saviour 
of the world. " Behold my servant whom I uphold, 
mine elect in whom my soul delighteth." Our Saviour, 
when on earth, chose from among his disciples twelve 
men to be his apostles ; and from among the apostles 
he chose Peter that he might first preach the word of 
salvation to the Gentiles. These were all specia 
elections for a special purpose, and not the elections 
referred to in the text. Our election, that in which 
we ought to feel a personal and particular interest, 
is of God in Christ. " Blessed be the God and 
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us 
with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in 
Christ ; as he chose us in him before the foundation of 
the world." Are you in it? Do you believe on him ? 
Have you been baptized into him, so that it can now 
be said of you, "He is in Christ"? Have you fled 
for refuge to lay hold on the hope set before you in 
Christ Jesus ? If you have received him as your great 
Prophet, Priest and King, and are now walking in 
him, seeking to be built up in him and to be established 
in the faith, then you are one of God's elect. You 
are chosen in Christ ; you are forgiven, justified, 
adopted, and to you there is no condemnation ; and 
all of whom these things are true, the whole great 



The Security of God's People. 139 

company of those who are in Christ, constitute the 
New Testament election, or God's elect. We are 
elected here and now, not to eternal life (that election 
will not take place till Christ comes), but to salvation, 
to sonship with God, as saith the apostle: "We are 
bound to give thanks to God always, for you, brethren 
beloved of the Lord, because God from the beginning 
chose you to salvation in sanctification of the Spirit 
and belief of the truth." The election, therefore, in 
which we are most vitally concerned is divine, 
heavenly in its origin ; it takes place in the mind of 
God, who elects all that come into Christ, an4 is in 
order to salvation ; is to the blessings and privileges of 
the gospel ; and, if all such are faithful unto death, 
they will, in the day of judgment, be elected to 
eternal life, and be made happy in the immediate 
presence of God forever. The elect stand in a new 
relation to God; they have been "delivered out of 
the power of darkness and translated into the kingdom 
of God's dear Son." They stand in grace, in the 
divine favor, and rejoice in the hope of the glory of 
God. Now, against such as are in Christ, who abide 
in Christ, and grow up into him in all things, no 
accusation will ever be sustained. Their eternal salva- 
tion is secure and certain. But before stating the 
reason of this, it may be well briefly to inquire who is 
the accuser? Who brings accusation against the 
chosen of God? Our answer is, Satan. Ke is called 
in Revelation the "accuser of the brethren." "I 
heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, Now is come the 
salvation, and the strength, and the kingdom of our 
God and the power of Christ : for the accuser of our 
brethren is cast down. " In the book of Job there is 



140 Sermons. 

a practical illustration of this. " There was a day 
when the sons of God came to present themselves 
before the Lord, and Satan came also among them." 
Now the reasons why every accusation brought by 
Satan or any one else against God's chosen will be 
repelled and never sustained. I. God justifies them. 
Who can condemn or sustain a charge against those 
whom God, the omnipotent Judge, acquits, justifies 
and accounts as righteous in his sight? The tribunal 
of God is the highest in the universe. From him, to 
whom else can there be appeal ? If he justifies, who 
can condemn ? 2. No accusation brought against 
God's elect will ever avail, because the Christ died for 
them. This is the second reason assigned, or con- 
sideration stated by the apostle in proof of his posi- 
tion. Christ is he that died for our sins, and by his 
obedience and personal sufferings atoned for them, 
making expiation for them, and the elect have accepted 
him in his death as the great and all-sufficient propitia- 
tion for their sins. Therefore, how can they be con- 
demned for sins which have been atoned for and 
expiated by the death of Jesus, and which have been 
washed away in his blood ? Jesus died for our sins. 
"He was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for 
our iniquities ; the chastisement of our peace was upon 
him, and with his stripes we are healed. All we, like 
sheep, had gone astray ; we had turned each one to 
his own way, and the Lord hath laid on him the 
iniquities of us all. " As the divinely appointed Lamb 
of God, he bore our sins in his own body on the tree. 
"The Son of man came, not to be ministered unto, 
but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for 
many.' " He who knew no sin was made sin for us, 



The Security of God's People. 141 

hat we might become the righteousness of God in him." 
This is one of the great things in God's law — a vital, 
fundamental doctrine of Holy Scripture — the death of 
the Messiah for man's sins. It was foretold in proph- 
ecy, in type, in symbol, in sacrifices and offerings 
under the law ; it was taught by Jesus himself; he 
evidently regarded himself as a sin-offering for the 
world, as a victim for human sin ; it was taught by all 
the apostles ; redemption by the death of Jesus the 
Christ, cleansing from all sin in his blood as in a 
fountain opened for sin and for uncleanness. My 
hearer, hast thou had conviction of sin ? Hast thou 
seen thyself to be a sinner in the sight of God, lost, 
ruined, in danger, and exposed to the wrath to come ? 
And hast thou by faith embraced and laid hold of 
Christ in his death as the one great and perfect Sacri- 
fice for sin? And hast thou seen the justice as well 
as the mercy of God, in forgiving thy sins because of 
Christ's death for them ? Is this with you a matter of 
personal experience ? Then, no matter who brings an 
accusation against you, man or Satan, you can repel 
it by pleading Christ's death as a sacrifice for your 
sins, and your personal acceptance thereof. 3. Our 
Saviour rose from the dead. " Christ is he that died, 
yea, rather, that is risen again." "He was delivered 
up for our offenses, and was raised again for our 
justification." And having a deliverer who died for 
our sins and who was raised from the dead for the very 
purpose of procuring for us justification with God, 
it follows that he will not condemn his own elect, and 
none other can condemn them. Who can pluck Christ's 
sheep out of his hand? Who can triumph over those 
on whose behalf he has triumphed over death and the 



142 Sermons. 

grave ? Death is a conquered foe. Jesus lives to die 
no more. " Death has dominion over him no longer." 
In his resurrection he abolished death, and brought 
life and incorruption to light; and to all his people 
he will give victory over death. * * God has begotten 
us again to a lively," i. e. y a. living, active, real hope by 
the resurrection of Christ from the dead. 4. " He is 
also at the right hand of God." Not only raised, but 
exalted to the very summit of heavenly power, 
dignity, authority and greatness ; invested with su- 
premacy over all things, clothed with regal majesty ; 
placed at the head of the universe, angels and authori- 
ties and powers being made subject to him. "He 
took upon him the form of a servant, and was made 
in the likeness of men, and being found in fashion as 
a man, he humbled himself, becoming obedient unto 
death, even the death of the cross." What a thought! 
Our Brother, Friend, Redeemer, Representative, Fore- 
runner, is in regal majesty, honor and dignity next 
to Jehovah himself. Only in the throne is the omnip- 
otent Father greater than the Son. Our text says : 
" Christ is at [or on] the right hand of God." In eight 
or ten other passages in the New Testament, it is said, 
he sat down, sits, or is sitting at the right hand of 
God ; and once he was seen to be standing. Stephen 
looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory 
of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God. 
The expression denotes enthronement and investiture 
with regal splendor, royal authority and majesty over 
all things. The elect, therefore, are under the pro- 
tection of Christ. He upholds them, preserves them, 
defends them, makes all things work together for 
their good ; and who can sustain a charge or accusa* 



The Security of God's People. 143 

tion against them ? 5 . Christ makes intercession for 
God's chosen. This is the apostle's final argument or 
reason for the security and safety "of the elect. God 
justifies them ; Christ died for them ; he rose for their 
justification ; he is at the right hand of God, exalted 
to honor and clothed with power on their behalf. 
"He makes intercession for us." He pleads our 
cause ; he aids and assists us ; he presents our interests 
before the mercy-seat in the heavens. He went to 
heaven, and was received up in glory, not only to com- 
plete his redemptive work on our behalf, but to make 
intercession for us. Who, therefore, can sustain a 
charge against those for whom our great High Priest 
intercedes ? 

When, under the law and in the tabernacle 
and temple worship, the high priest went into the 
most Holy Place, on the tenth day of the seventh 
month, he had worn a breastplate, in which were set 
twelve stones, four in a row, and on each of which 
was engraved the name of one of the tribes of 
Israel ; also, around the lower edge of the outer 
robe that he wore, there were silver bells that 
sounded while he was in the Holy of holies. He 
appeared there before the mercy-seat, in the pres- 
ence of Jehovah, in his representative character, 
on behalf of the people whose high priest he was. 
As long as they heard the sound of the bells on the 
skirt of his robe, they knew that his intercession was 
acceptable, and that he was heard by the Lord. So 
of Christ, our High Priest, who has entered within the 
veil on our behalf, in allusion to the breastplate on the 
high priest : ' ' The names of all his saints he wears 
engraven on his breast." And we know that his inter- 



144 Sermons. 

cession for us avails with God ; for his promises so 
assure us — his promises, which are exceeding great and 
precious, and by which we become partakers of the 
divine nature. This is the last consideration urged by 
the apostle for the security of God's elect — security 
drawn from the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. By 
these five arguments or reasons he proves their com- 
plete security from being subject to condemnation by 
Satan, by man, by anyone, and therefore our perfect 
safety in the day of judgment. Having the Judge of 
all for our friend, are we not safe ? ' 4 Who shall lay 
anything to the charge of God's elect ?" God will 
not, for he justifies them. Christ will not, for he died 
for them, was raised for their justification, is at the 
right hand of God, and makes intercession for them. 
As God's elect we have salvation here, and complete 
security for the eternal future. * ' How firm a foundation, 
you saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith in his ex- 
cellent word." What a sure basis for salvation and 
hope is laid in the death, resurrection, reign and inter- 
cession of the glorious Redeemer, the Rock of Ages, 
cleft for us, in whom we are to hide ourselves that we 
may be safe. It is related that, not long since, a 
train of cars was crossing ..the Allegheny Mountains 
and moving down the steep grade rapidly, when the 
whistle screamed and the brakes were applied with all 
quickness and power. The passengers were frightened, 
and, looking out of the windows upon massive walls 
of rock, expected that some disaster was imminent. 
The engineer had seen a little girl and her baby 
brother playing on the track just before the rushing, 
ponderous train, which apparently wo aid in another 
moment crush them. At this instant the girl's eye 



The Security of God's People. 145 

caught sight of a niche in the rock made by blasting, 
into which she thrust the boy and herself, crying, 
"Cling close to the rock, Johnny; cling close to the 
rock." The train passed, and they were unharmed. 
A striking illustration is this of the sinner's relation to 
the Rock of Ages ! In him we find a safe retreat. O 
that we all may gain Christ and be found in him ! 
Then a happy, useful life, a peaceful death, and a 
glorious eternity will be ours. 



SUCCESSFUL LIVING. 

Seest thou a man diligent in his business ? he shall 
stand before kings ; he shall not stand before mean men. 
(Prov. xxii. 29). 

Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that 
meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son 
of man shall give unto you : for him hath God the Father 
sealed. (John vi. 27). 

Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation 
against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal 
life. (I. Tim. vi. 19). 

In my scrap-book I have a selection entitled, 
"Advice to Preachers." One item in that advice is 
this: "Avoid long introductions, and plunge right 
into the discussion of the subject in hand." Acting 
on this excellent advice to-day, I shall proceed, with- 
out any introductory words, to announce and discuss 
the theme I have in mind. Founded on the three 
passages I have just read in your hearing, there are 
three thoughts to which I give utterance, and to the 
unfolding of which I solicit your attention. The first 
of these is important ; the second is more important ; 
the third is most important of all. If you do these 
three things, your days will be spent happily; your 
life will be successful ; it will not end in disastrous 
failure as do the lives of so many ; you will have your 
fruit unto holiness, and the end will be everlasting life. 
1. Improve your temporal condition. 2. Cultivate 
your mind. 3. Save your soul. These three, in my 

judgment, embrace a great deal and cover the whole 
»4<s 



Successful Living. 147 

ground of man's duty in this life. We begin with the 
lowest, which is by no means unimportant. Improve 
your temporal condition ; better your worldly circum- 
stances ; accumulate wealth; become independent; 
get a home and own it if possible ; lay up something ; 
do n't live from hand to mouth ; save money ; lift 
yourself above want, poverty and indigence. You 
have heard people say, "The world owes me a living, 
and I mean to have it." A falsehood! The world 
owes no man a living. It is only lazy, indolent, 
worthless creatures that talk in that way. It is every 
man's duty to do two things : to earn a livelihood ; to 
produce, in some way or other that is honest, and by 
some kind of labor, what he consumes ; to produce as 
much at least as will supply his own wants. He who 
does not, who consumes but earns nothing, is a para- 
site on the community, and ought to be shaken off, 
and compelled to work, if he is able, or starve. Such 
is the divine law, and a beneficent, wise law it is. 
" If any one will not work, neither let him eat. Now 
such we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ, 
that with quietness working, they eat their own bread," 
bread which they have earned by the sweat of their 
brows, by personal labor of some sort. The whole 
teaching of the Bible on this subject is against indo- 
lence, laziness, thriftlessness ; and to labor, prudence, 
economy and industry it promises prosperity, thrift, 
an increase of worldly goods, and an abundance of all 
those things that minister to man's physical welfare 
and well being. ' ' Go to the ant, thou sluggard, con- 
sider her ways, and be wise. " Learn a lesson from that 
instinct which God has put in the lowest and tiniest of 
his creatures. 



148 Sermons. 

The second thing a man should do is to add some- 
thing, even though it be a little, to the stock of the 
world's wealth. He should leave the world richer and 
better in every way for having lived in it ; he should 
leave behind him, when he passes hence, an example 
of frugality, economy, thrift and wise, upright admin- 
istration of the affairs of this life, as well as an example 
of high moral conduct and Christian integrity. Then, 
going hence, he will be missed, and his departure re- 
gretted. In this country of such great extent, pro- 
ductive soil and magnificent resources, where all can 
find employment, and where labor is so remunerative, 
poverty is criminal ; it is unnecessary in a majority of 
cases in which it exists. Perhaps I should rather say, 
that which leads to poverty in a majority of instances, 
laziness, thriftlessness, want of frugality, drinking 
and drunkenness, are criminal ; for these evil things 
are sure to result in poverty, misery and wretched- 
ness. 

In all the Bible there is not a word said against the 
accumulation of riches ; it is against riches unright- 
eously gotten, or selfishly used and trusted in, that 
the word of God warns men. Poverty is not in itself 
a good, nor are riches in themselves an evil. Poverty 
may be a crime ; riches may be an inestimable bless- 
ing, both to their possessors and others. If a man 
spends the money he earns by labor or in his business 
for tobacco or rum or in riotous living, spends it upon 
his lusts, and so keeps himself and those dependent 
on him in a state of indigence, is it not a crime, a 
flagrant crime, meriting punishment ? If a man 
has riches, and gives to spread the gospel, to 
send the message of salvation, of light and love 



Successful Living. 149 

and peace to the ends of the earth, and to pro- 
mote all charitable and religious purposes, does he not 
thereby glorify God, transmute the treasures of earth 
into the durable riches of heaven, and "lay up in 
store for himself a good foundation against the time 
to come " ? The great danger, however, is that men 
will get riches by dishonest means, make their accumu- 
lations the end for which they live, use them selfishly, 
spend them upon their lusts, and so make them the 
cause of their own ruin. Some of the best char- 
acters of whom we read in the Scriptures were rich 
men, and their riches were the gift of God. Abraham, 
the father of the faithful and the friend of God, was 
very rich in gold and silver and cattle and a large 
household. Isaac and Jacob also were rich men ; 
David, Solomon and Job, men of God, God's chosen, 
men of great faith and piety, yet rich in this world's 
substance. Let every young man set out with the 
determination that he will save something; that he 
will produce more — even though it be a little — than he 
consumes ; that he will earn more than he spends ; 
that his income shall exceed his outlays ; that he will 
improve his temporal condition, better his worldly 
circumstances ; rise above dependence and want, so 
that he can, in time, have a home of his own, if he 
chooses, have good furniture and carpets on the floors 
and pictures on the walls, and everything that min- 
isters to his physical comfort and to a refined taste. 
Let your motto be : Nothing for tobacco, nothing for 
strong drink, nothing for anything that injures man in 
body, mind or soul ; but prudence, economy and 
frugality. Along with these comes thrift, prosperity 
and growth in external things, which is essential to 



150 Sermons. 

the highest well-being of man. 2, There is some- 
thing more important than this, however. Hence, I 
say, in the second place, cultivate your mind. 
Strengthen and improve your understanding. Read, 
study, think, and add a little every day to your stock 
of useful information. Grow intellectually ; lay up 
knowledge. "Wise men lay up knowledge." The 
knowledge they lay up makes them wise, increases 
their wisdom, and, in laying up knowledge, they act 
the part of true wisdom ; for knowledge is a perma- 
nent possession ; it becomes a part of our mental con- 
stitution, and, therefore, durable and lasting as the 
mind itself. Riches often take wings and fly away ; 
reverses of fortune come ; unforeseen circumstances 
may reduce a man to poverty ; but no change in a 
man's external condition can rob him of his intellectual 
possessions. Wealth is not in itself an end. It 
should not be regarded as such by any one. It is 
valuable only for the sake of what it may be made to 
do for man. It may minister to his physical comfort, 
to his intellectual development, and to the furtherance 
of Christ's gospel. These things, in my judgment, 
exhaust the legitimate uses of wealth. Now, the 
great mistake made by most people is just this : they 
seek riches as an end, for their own sake, not for the 
sake of what they will do. They want to be wealthy, 
and pile up a large fortune ; hence, they give them- 
selves, in their time, strength, energies, thoughts and 
planning, to the accumulation of money, and they do 
this at the expense of their mental cultivation and 
the salvation of their souls. Everything that is higher, 
nobler and better ; everything that ministers to man's 
mental improvement, moral progress and preparation 



Successful Living. 151 

for immortal life, and a glorious existence hereafter, is 
lost sight of in the eager strife for wealth, which satis- 
fies not when possessed. Hence, they break down, 
health gives way, and they fall by the way, their 
earthly hopes unfulfilled. Every sensible man knows 
that overwork, too much time given to business and 
too little to healthful recreation and mental improve- 
ment, eagerness to get rich and to get a fortune in a 
day, are characteristics of the American people, and 
they produce a telling effect on the health and morals 
of the people. 

Alfred the Great, king of England, who lived in 
the ninth century, was a wise monarch. He gave his 
people good advice, and studied to promote their best 
interests, and recommended this division of time of 
each twenty-four hours : Eight hours for work and busi- 
ness, eight for recreation and mental cultivation, and 
eight for sleep. Better advice, I think, could not 
be given as to a wise and judicious division of our 
time, and what inestimable blessing it would bring to 
the people if it were followed ! Ample time there 
would then be for taking rest in sleep ; ample time for 
reading, study, thinking, for improving the mind and 
heart ; and ample time for business. To the young 
people here to-day I speak especially. The older 
people will never change materially ; they will live on 
and die as they are now. The bad habits they have 
formed they will never get rid of. To the young, 
therefore, I appeal and say: Form the habit in early 
life of reading good books ; acquire knowledge, make 
yourself intelligent, resolve to improve your mind 
and to treasure up knowledge. This will be to you a 
permanent possession, and a source of infinite satis- 



152 Sermons. 

faction and comfort to you in after life. That you 
may have that stimulus and inspiration that come from 
association with others, join a literary society. Es- 
pecially do I advise you to become members of the 
Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle, for this 
reason: the books read are selected by wise men — 
men of culture, of wide information and extended 
reading, and are, therefore, good books — such as will 
enlarge the understanding and improve the heart. 
The frequent meeting of the members for discussion 
and conference, to talk over what they have read, to 
listen to papers, etc., on what has been read, tends to 
increase the interest and impress on the mind what you 
have read. Another thing : let every young person 
begin to form a library. Save a little out of your 
earnings to buy books. Read them, take care of 
them, keep them, have a library of your own. Read 
history. It will enlarge your mind and acquaint you 
with what has been done in the world. Read biog- 
raphy, the lives of great and good men. This will 
show you how they rose to eminence, by what motives 
they were actuated, what difficulties they overcame, 
and what good they accomplished. 3. I come to that 
which is most important of all. Save your soul. Be a 
Christian, a whole-hearted, earnest follower of Christ. 
Take the Bible as your directory and guide in morals, 
the Christ as your pattern and example, and, believing 
in your own immortality, live for the world to come, 
and build up a character for eternity. Be reconciled 
to God through Christ. Worship, adore, serve, obey 
and love the great Creator and Redeemer. Accept 
Christ's sacrifice as the great atonement for human 
sin ; his death as the great propitiation for human 



Successful Living. 153 

transgression ; his word as your rule of duty ; and 
receive him into your heart as its sovereign and your 
hope of glory. This is most important of all ; this 
is first, highest, and chief of all. He who fails here, 
succeeds nowhere ; his life is a failure, and better that 
he had never been born. A poor man may be a 
Christian and get to heaven ; an ignorant man may be 
a Christian and get to heaven, and he will have 
eternity before him in which to learn ; but he who is 
not a Christian has no hope of heaven. ' ' What shall 
it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his 
soul?" The soul lost irretrievably, then all is lost! 
He who becomes a Christian and lives a true Christian 
life gains all and loses nothing; he who is not a 
Christian loses all and gains nothing. You may 
have the wealth of Vanderbilt, the intellect of Shakes- 
peare or Alexander Hamilton or Webster or Clay ; the 
scientific attainments of Tyndall or Huxley ; you may 
have all knowledge, but these avail not for salvation. 
You must be a child of God, a follower of the meek 
and lowly Jesus, or all is vain. "Work not for the 
food that perishes, but for that which endureth unto 
everlasting life." "Lay up treasures in heaven, where 
moth and rust do not corrupt." "Sow to the Spirit, 
that from the Spirit you may reap life everlasting." 
Seek the things above. Live to God, and to him who 
for thee died and rose again. Spiritual interests are 
supreme ; they take precedence over all other interests 
whatsoever. What other interest can be compared 
with that of the soul and its salvation? If a man, 
having property in youth, squanders it, spends it in 
riotous living, in prodigality and excesses, and in man- 
hood and old age is poor, is he not greatly to blame? 



154 Sermons. 

He ought, in youth and early manhood, to have had 
regard to his wants when old, and made provision for 
them. If in youth one neglects his opportunities for 
getting an education and laying the foundation for 
the acquisition of knowledge in after life, and in old 
age is ignorant and unhappy, is it not his own fault ? 
As in youth and early manhood and womanhood you 
should live with respect to the future of this life, and 
make provision for your wants and happiness when 
old, if you litfe to be old, so the whole of this life 
should be a preparation for the life to come. ' ' Pre- 
pare to meet thy God." Prepare for death. Prepare 
for the day of judgment — that great day when the 
secrets of all hearts shall be disclosed. Prepare for 
heaven. Prepare for eternity. Why, the squirrel in 
autumn provides for winter. It carries nuts and acorns 
into holes of hollow trees, that it may subsist on them 
during the cold winter months. The beaver constructs 
with remarkable ingenuity its lodges or habitations, 
thus providiug for its future comfort. And shall not 
man, who is to live forever, on whose moral nature 
eternity is stamped, make preparation for his future 
well-being? Be wise. Submit thy heart to God. 
Seek similarity of feeling with him. Grow into like- 
ness to him, and then all will be well. I call thee to 
Christ, the one Saviour of sinners. " Whosoever is 
willing, let him take of the water of life freely." 



CONSECRATION. 

And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found 
others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye 
here all the day idle ? 

They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He 
saith unto them, Go ye also unto the vineyard ; and whatso- 
ever is right, that shall ye receive. (Matt. xx. 6, 7). 

And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also 
might be sanctified through the truth. (John xvii. 19). 

And if children, then heirs ; heirs of God, and joint 
heirs with Christ ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we 
may be also glorified together. (Rom. viii. 17). 

If we suffer, we shall also reign with him; if we deny 
him, he also will denj^ us. (II. Tim. ii. 12). 

The subject suggested by these brief passages, 
read at different places in the word of God, from two 
of the gospels and two of the epistles, and to which 
I invite your serious attention to-day, is the import- 
ance and necessity of being consecrated to Christ in 
service, in work and toil to spread his religion, in suf- 
fering, in Christian endeavor, and in personal efforts 
for the moral conquest of the world. Glorification 
with Christ in the life to come, which implies and in- 
volves our resurrection from the dead in his likeness, 
and exaltation with him to the kingdom of heavenly 
glory, is in the New Testament set before us as the 
summit of human attainment, as the completion of 
God's work of grace in and upon us, as the consumma- 
tion of our redemption, as the perfection of human 
blessedness, as the end toward which everything in 



156 Sermons. 

Christianity points, as that far-off divine event toward 
which the whole creation moves. Glorified with 
Christ, reigning with him over one, five or ten cities, 
according to our fitness and the degree of our moral 
excellence, shining in the light of God, bearing his 
perfect likeness, triumphant over sin and death, walk- 
ing the golden streets of the New Jerusalem, serving 
Jehovah with a vigilance that never sleeps and a zeal 
that never tires — what a comforting hope, what a 
blissful prospect. This is a height to which every soul 
that so will may attain through divine grace, help and 
power, glorified with Christ. There can be nothing 
higher, more excellent or desirable than this. Our 
Saviour, the Lord Christ, the King of Saints, the 
glorious and glorified Redeemer, has no position, no 
glory or honor or majesty which he is not willing to 
share with you or me. He that overcomes, triumphs, 
gains the victory ; " to him I will give to sit with me on 
my throne even as I overcame and am set down with 
my Father on his throne." When eating with his 
disciples the last passover, he said to them: "I ap- 
point to you a kingdom, as my Father also appointed 
to me." This promise came from his lips : "Be thou 
faithful unto death, and I will give thee the crown of 
life." When the chief Shepherd is manifested, you 
will receive the unfading crown of glory. Precious 
promises, which in due time will be fulfilled, and, 
when fulfilled, will place the redeemed in heaven with 
their Redeemer, equal to him in resplendence, in ex 
alted position, in enjoyment, in honor and glory. 
This glorious hope may well revive our courage by the 
way, while we in expectation live and long to see the 
day. But as it was with our Lord and Master, so 



Consecration. 157 

must it be with us, How was it with him ? He left 
the throne and the glory which he had with the 
Father before the world was ; he came down out of 
heaven and entered into physical relationship with us, 
taking the form of a servant and being made in the 
likeness of men ; he toiled, labored, went about doing 
good, suffered, bore the scorn and scoffs of men ; 
hungered, thirsted, wept, prayed, was in agony ; did 
the will of the Father who sent him ; became obedient 
unto death, even the death of the cross ; was buried, 
raised, exalted, glorified and crowned ; all the angels 
were commanded to worship him, and all men every- 
where to repent of their sins and obey him, because he 
suffered death, bore the cross, despising the shame 
thereof, and endured all the grief, anguish and sorrow 
that preceded his death. Wearing the crown is be- 
cause of bearing the cross, and was bestowed as a re- 
ward for it. I have directed your attention to the 
Christian hope as expressed in the words : 4 ' Glorified 
with Christ. " But now I wish to say with emphasis 
and all possible plainness, this hope is not yours, you 
can not claim it, nor can you rejoice in it, unless you 
are making it the main purpose of your existence and 
the sole end of your life to be in all respects just like 
the Christ, to honor him as he honored the Father ; 
to serve him as he served the Father ; to obey him as 
he obeyed the Father ; to do good to men as he did 
good to men ; to be associated with him in toil and 
service, in self-denying efforts to promote the salvation 
of lost souls, in humility and suffering, in love and 
godliness, in patience and gentleness, in cross-bearing 
and death. Be like the Master, the Lord of glory, in 
all that he was before his resurrection, and then you 



158 Sermons. 

will be like him in all that he is and has been since his 
resurrection and glorification in the heavens. This 
is the great and divine law, to which I know of no ex- 
ception, and into harmony with which and confirmity 
to which every one must come who would be saved, 
both here and in the world to come. In other words, 
the history of redemption, as exhibited in the char- 
acter, life, sufferings and death of Jesus, must be re- 
produced or re-enacted in the personal life and history 
of every soul that would attain to salvation and eternal 
life. That is just what I meant ; and you do not 
understand the gospel unless you understand and 
admit that it is so. If you say, " I will not submit ; 
I am not willing to make the sacrifice demanded ; I 
will not consecrate my heart, my life, my all to 
Christ; I will not deny myself, take the cross and fol- 
low in the footsteps of Jesus ; I do not wish to be 
associated with him, and to subordinate everything I 
have to his will and service ; I am going to live for 
worldly reward ; I shall seek wealth and honor from 
men and distinction in society," — very well. Be it 
so ; it is for you to decide and make the choice ; no 
other can make it for you. But, mark you, the con- 
sequences of that decision you must bear. Escape 
them you can not. They are as sure to follow your 
decision as darkness follows the obscuration of the 
sun's light. They are condemnation, rejection by 
Christ, moral death, spiritual darkness, increasing un- 
happiness and want of enjoyment as life wears on to its 
close, hardness of heart, deadness of conscience, 
death without hope ; and after death, perdition, tor- 
ment, the worm that never dies and the fire that is 
never quenched. If you will not be constrained by 



Consecration. i 59 

the higher and better motive of love to Christ, it is 
well to think of these things and give them due con- 
sideration, in deciding the great question as to what 
you are going to do, and how you are going to live, 
whether for Christ or for yourself. But it is not so 
much to those without as to those within the church 
that I address the lesson of to-day. I have pointed 
out to you the Christian's hope — glorification with the 
Son of God, after the resurrection, in the heavens, in 
the everlasting kingdom, the kingdom of eternal love 
and glory ; but I see in myself and others so much 
that is imperfect, sinful, wrong, inconsistent, unlike 
the Master ; so much selfishness, pride and worldliness, 
so little zeal, earnestness, anxiety to extend the gospel 
throughout the world ; such a lack of benevolence and 
consecration to Christ in self-denying service ; so little 
relish for spiritual things ; so little vital piety and true 
godliness, that I fear some, if not many of us are 
self-deceived in this most momentous of all interests ; 
and, therefore, I can not be true to myself nor to you, 
nor to Christ, my Lord and final Judge, if I do not 
declare his truth as he reveals it to me, in all sim- 
plicity and plainness. And in view of the believer's 
hope, so great and so divine, based on the resurrection 
of Christ and the promise of God, a hope which to 
him who understands and appreciates it is a source of 
inspiration, courage and strength, I call upon every 
one to renew to-day the dedication and consecration of 
himself to the Lord Jesus Christ in holy and faithful 
service, and in a life of higher benevolence than you 
have hitherto lived. Be entreated, I beseech you. 
Are you a consecrated person ? Are you devoted to 
the Lord Christ, who bought you with his own blood ? 



160 Sermons. 

Let us look for a few moments at the subject of 
consecration as taught in holy Scripture. First, the 
Father consecrated the Son. This is the meaning of 
the word sanctify in many passages. Sanctified him, 
i. e. % consecrated him, set him apart, devoted, gave, 
delivered him up to suffering and death for our en- 
lightenment, redemption and salvation, so that from 
that hour the Saviour, in his official capacity and in 
his redemptive work, was a consecrated person — con- 
secrated by the Father's express appointment. Second, 
the Saviour made that consecration personal ; he con- 
secrated himself to self-denying service, to suffering 
and death ; and, through these, to the deliverance of a 
fallen and perishing world from sin, ruin and perdition. 
Third, his consecration was antecedent to ours and the 
preparation for it. For their sakes I consecrate my- 
self, that they also may be consecrated through the 
truth, i. e. y truly, really consecrated. The great fact 
of our Saviour's sanctification of himself is here set 
forth. He consecrated, devoted, set himself apart, 
gave himself up, to do, to bear, to suffer, to endure 
all that was necessary to make our salvation possible, 
to make atonement for our sins, and to effect the 
redemption of this guilty world. Hence, while some 
men are distinguished as poets, others as philosophers, 
others as generals, military heroes, or conquerors or 
statesmen, as men of letters or science, Jesus is dis- 
tinguished from all others in the universe as the 
Saviour of sinners. To the redemption of the lost he 
consecrated himself in the entirety of his being, in 
his perfect humanity, in his glorious manhood, in his 
Christhood and in his Godhead. And now, under the 
inspiration of faith in him, and personal affection for 



Consecration. 161 

him, we must consecrate ourselves to him in the love 
of justice, in the practice of all righteousness, in the 
exhibition of all goodness, in the manifestion of all 
truth and purity, in integrity, in uprightness, in a holy 
life, in the faithful discharge of every duty and in the 
strict fulfillment of every obligation. 

I refer to one thing which seriously impairs the 
Christian character of many professors, weakens con- 
fidence in their integrity, and makes their influence 
harmful rather than beneficial. I mean the failure to 
make good your promises, and meet promptly your 
pecuniary responsibilities. There is a great lack in 
this respect with many professed disciples of Christ, and, 
as a consequence, injury is done to the cause of Christ. 
A man's greatest power for good is his character. Good 
character is like gold ; it commands respect and 
esteem everywhere, and from all men. Hence, the 
best way to do good is to be good. If a man has 
high character and wealth, and uses his wealth to pro- 
mote worthy and Christian objects, his power for 
good is greatly enhanced. But Christian character is 
to be esteemed above everything else, because of its 
power for good, and of its necessity in order to salva- 
tion. A church is judged by the character of her 
members, not by her creed or doctrinal belief. That 
church is the best which makes the best men and 
women ; and a church's influence for good in the com- 
munity is the aggregate piety, godliness, purity and 
self-devotedness of her membership. You are greatly 
mistaken if you think that to be a Christian is to have 
certain views, convictions and inward emotions. This 
is well ; but if it leads not to a devoted, holy and pure 
life, it is all a delusion. Your religion must be carried 



1 62 Sermons. 

into every part and department of your daily life ; into 
your buying and selling, your business transactions, 
your dealings with your fellow-men, into your home, 
your family. Religion is not like a garment which you 
can put on and lay aside at pleasure ; it is a character, 
a life ; and if it does not pervade, purify and sanctify 
all your conduct, making you truthful, honest, up- 
right, conscientious, faithful to your vows and prom- 
ises, increasingly pure, good and holy, it is vain, it is 
not to be valued at the price of a single mill ; your 
profession is a mockery, and the end will be disap- 
pointment and rejection. Beware. One of the 
easiest things to do is to deceive your own heart. 

David Livingstone, when a young man, went to 
Africa, and spent his life in that country as a mission- 
ary. He learned new languages that he might 'teach 
the people. He lived among ignorant, brutish, idola- 
trous and degraded beings ; he suffered thirst, hunger, 
hardship and privation ; he was attacked with the 
African fever thirty times in the course of a few 
months ; almost the whole of the money he received 
from the publication of his books he spent in mission- 
ary work. He died in Africa; yet he never would 
admit that he made any sacrifice for the Saviour. Let 
us not talk about sacrifice. Would that we were 
compelled to make some, that we might be tested, 
that the true might be separated from the false. I 
have a strong dislike, an aversion, nay, more, a con- 
tempt for that trait of character which leads a man to 
want something for nothing — which makes him willing 
to receive everything from God and man — life, breath, 
food and raiment, salvation, the truth, the Spirit and 
eternal life — receive everything, like the maelstrom, and 



Consecration. 163 

give nothing out. How poor that soul is, and it will 
be poor in the life beyond. It may have much, but 
being selfish, it is little. Make good your promise 
without delay. Do not be in debt, especially do not 
be in debt to your God and Saviour. Pay thy vows ; 
it is better that thou shouldst not vow than that thou 
shouldst vow and not pay. Thus saith the word 
of God. There is a maxim expressed in the 
Latin language which reads thus : Qui dat cito dat bis y 
i. e., he who gives quickly gives twice. 

The honest man, the man of right and noble heart, 
wants to give quid pro quo, i. e. y to both God and man ; 
he desires to render some equivalent for what he re- 
ceives from both. A sense of gratitude and of favors 
received impels him to this. And while a million 
dollars, while no sum, however large, can purchase the 
forgiveness of a single sin, yet he who has a just con- 
ception of the number and magnitude of God's bene- 
fits and mercies, and appreciates the worth of salva- 
tion and eternal life as gifts received from God, will 
not be restrained from giving, and need not be urged 
to give. As the mother must from the necessity of 
her own nature love her own child and do anything 
in her power to promote its welfare, so the new 
nature, the changed heart, disposition and life, that 
come from being in Christ, and from true conversion, 
give expression to their gratitude and thankfulness in 
offerings. Hence, many years of observation and 
study of the Scriptures and of human nature teaches 
that of all tests of true discipleship, this is the surest 
and best. There are more people self-deceived just 
here than anywhere else. The amount a man gives in 
proportion to his ability, the spirit and promptness 



164 Sermons. 

with which he gives, determine, in large measure, his 
standing before God. You pay your grocer's bills, 
and your merchant's bills, and your tailor's bills, 
because, if you do not, you lose standing in the busi- 
ness community, your credit is gone, and you will not 
be trusted in the future. That is not the true reason 
why you should pay them, but that, I suppose, is the 
reason why many people pay what they owe. You 
promise your neighbor to pay him a certain sum you 
owe him so many days from date ; the specified time 
passes away, and as much more. Still your promise 
is not verified, your word is not made good. What, 
imagine you, must he think of you ? What confidence 
can he have in your word ? Can you look him square 
in the face ? Now, promise of money for benevolent 
ends and to promote God's work in this world are 
made to him rather than to man ; and when such a 
promise is given, a solemn vow made to Christ, and 
you afterwards haggle about paying it, and delay, 
defer, refuse, put the matter off, want to get out of it 
altogether, hold on to your little bit of money as long 
as you can — O, how you grieve the loving and merci- 
ful Christ; you keep him a beggar standing and 
waiting at your door ; and were he not infinite in 
patience and long-suffering, would he not smite you in 
his anger ? 

In conclusion, our subject calls loudly for self-ex- 
amination. Do you want to be lost ? Do you realize 
the importance of standing in the favor of God, of 
being right with him, and of coming into similarity of 
feeling with him ? Then you will be thankful to the man 
who has the courage to do his duty, and direct your 
attention to those things that concern your salvation. 



Consecration. 165 

These great matters of life and death I set before you, 
and entreat you to consider them. We are in con- 
stant danger of falling into the snare of supposing 
that because we are not idol-worshipers, therefore we 
must be faithful disciples of the Master. What avails 
it for us to say, " We are Christians," if in our secret 
hearts we are departing from the living God as com- 
pletely as any of those around us, who make no pro- 
fession of devotion to God? As they were not all 
Israel that were of Israel, so neither are they all true 
Christians who are of the Christian brotherhood. 
Each one must know God, and answer to God for him- 
self. The human heart is so deceitful that I beseech 
every one of you to search diligently and see that his 
own calling and election is sure. Examine your- 
selves, whether you be in the faith ; prove, i. e., test 
yourselves. Know ye not yourselves that Jesus Christ 
is in you except you be reprobates ? And if Christ is 
in a man, that man is becoming more and more like 
Christ. 



CHRISTIAN CONDUCT. 

For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath ap- 
peared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness 
and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and 
godly, in this present world ; looking for that blessed hope, 
and the glorious appearing of the great God and our 
Saviour Jesus Christ ; who gave himself for us, that he 
might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto 
himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. (Titus 
ii. 11-14). 

Founded on this second chapter of St. Paul's 
epistle to Titus, the last few verses of which I have 
just read, I shall present for your consideration this 
evening two thoughts. I. Christian conduct as it is 
taught, set forth and described in this chapter. 2. 
The motives thereto springing from the great revela- 
tions made in the gospel. Christian morality, founded 
on faith in divine revelation; and the motives that 
give lise to it. He who conducts himself according 
to the revealed will of God, who carries himself with 
that humility, purity, reverence and godly fear that is 
characteristic of all true Christians, and does this 
under the inspiration of the motives set forth in the 
Scriptures, will not be perfect, but his life will in the 
main be good ; and he will find himself in the 
heavenly world received and crowned an heir of God. 
On the other hand, if we live not in conformity 

with the teaching of the Holy Scripures ; if we come 

166 



Christian Conduct. 167 

not practically under the power and guidance of 
God's word and under the influence and inspiration 
of the high and holy motives set forth therein, it 
will be ill with us, and the consequences we must 
bear. Let us seek purity and holiness ; let us 
hunger and thirst after righteousness; let us ear- 
nestly try to have the spirit and temper of heaven 
in our hearts while on earth. If we were only as 
good as we might be, how happy we would be ! 
In the word of God very great importance is attached 
to conduct as the index and manifestation of char- 
acter ; and by conduct is meant behavior, demeanor, 
deportment, the religious fear in which we walk in the 
sight of God, the charity, forbearance and gentleness 
in which we deport ourselves toward man ; the course 
of life one pursues and the habits he forms. Indeed, 
it is impossible to overestimate or exaggerate the im- 
portance of this, viewed from a scriptural standpoint. 
So important is it that our destiny in the future de- 
pends upon our conduct in the present. If this were 
realized as it might be, and as it should be, how 
serious, thoughtful and earnest it would make us, and 
with what significance it would invest this brief life ! 
As a tree is known by the fruit it bears, so we are 
known by our life, which is the visible and outward 
expression of our true character. A man does the 
will of God from the heart because he believes with 
the heart. Doing springs from believing; action is 
the result of faith. And our action will be earnest in 
proportion to the strength of our faith. Great faith 
nerves the soul for mighty deeds and heroic action. 
It makes the weak strong, the timid brave, and the 
simple wise. 



168 Sermons. 

A man calls on the name of Jehovah because he 
reveres his character, acknowledges his supremacy, 
sovereignty and power. Realizing his own need, he 
seeks divine wisdom, guidance and strength. The 
bended knee and the cry of the heart in supplication 
is but the embodiment of the inward feeling out of 
the heart's desire. A man gives for benevolent pur- 
poses to advance God's gracious reign in this fallen 
world. His gifts are the expression of the benevo- 
lence of his spirit. Thus it is that conduct bodies 
forth character, and is the outward expression of the 
inward feeling and moral state of the soul. In the 
passage just read, we are taught that, having denied 
ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, 
righteously and godly in this present world— " soberly, " 
i. e. y temperately, prudently and wisely as it respects 
ourselves; " righteously, " ' i. e., honestly, justly 
and uprightly as it respects our fellow-men ; "godly," 
i. e. y piously. 

It is a disclosure of amazing grace ; it offers salva- 
tion from the Eternal King ; it requires faith, assent, 
submission, the subjection of the heart, life, will and 
conscience to heavenly guidance and authority, the 
surrender of the whole being to God and his service. 
This is first, and the first great demand of the gospel. 
From this faith, anchored in Christ, there flows a 
beautiful stream, pure, clear bright, producing fertility 
and diffusing blessings all around — a righteous life, a 
Christian deportment, a course of life that is beneficial 
to man and that brings honor to God. I take the 
second chapter of Titus as a specimen of the conduct 
enjoined upon us in the word of God. At its begin- 
ing the apostle says : * ' Speak thou the things which 



Christian Conduct. 169 

become the sound teaching." Doctrine means teach- 
ing ; sound means healthful ; the sound doctrine is the 
teaching that brings health to the soul. Then five 
classes are addressed: 1. Aged men; " teach that 
they be sober, grave, discreet, sound in faith, in love, 
in patience." These moral qualities are enjoined upon 
aged men. 2. Aged women — that tjiey be in be- 
havior as becomes holy women, not false accusers, not 
enslaved to much wine, teachers of that which is good, 
etc. 3. Young men : they are addressed by the 
apostle. Exhort them to be sober-minded, etc. 4. 
The minister himself is addressed : in all things 
showing thyself a pattern of good works. 5. Servants : 
they are exhorted to be obedient to their own mas- 
ters, etc. 

This is the teaching of the apostle to these 
several classes. Is it not sound ? Is it not promotive 
of all piety, goodness and truth ? Let all believers 
and all men everywhere practice this teaching, and 
they will be the happier and the world made better. 
Next, consider the motive of this conduct. Does the 
word of God exhort us to all righteousness, sobriety, 
goodness, mercy and love? It supplies the highest 
conceivable motives to this conduct. These are set 
forth in the words of the text: ''For the grace of 
God that brings salvation to all men hath appeared." 
The expression, "the grace of God," denotes the 
whole gospel system, the great remedial plan, the 
scheme of redemption originating in the divine love, 
and executed by the divine power. It has been re- 
vealed, set forth, disclosed, manifested to the world. 
It is a saving grace. It saves men from sin, from 
guilt, from fear, from bondage, from selfishness, from 



170 Sermons. 

the grave, from perdition, from everything that can 
imperil your character or ruin your soul. How merci- 
ful in God to provide and offer it ! How necessary on 
the part of man to accept it ! 

Another thought that furnishes a motive for the 
conduct enjoined in the preceding part of the chapter 
is the proper attitude of the church, " looking for the 
blessed hope, and the appearing of the glory of the 
great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ." As the sacred 
writer says in another place : ' ' Looking off unto 
Jesus, the author and finisher of the faith." The 
hope for which we are to look is our Saviour's second 
advent, and our resurrection in the likeness of his 
glorified body. We groan within ourselves, waiting 
for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body, 
its resurrection and glorification with Christ. In this 
hope we were saved. The earnest longing of the 
creation is waiting for the revelation of the sons of 
God. It was never yet manifested what we shall be ; 
but we know that when he is manifested we shall be 
like him — like him in our body and person. Then 
will be fulfilled our Saviour's promise : The righteous 
shall shine out as the sun in the firmament. 

Under the Mosaic dispensation, on the day of 
atonement the high priest went into the holy of 
holies to make the atonement for sin and to intercede 
for the people. While within, the people were with- 
out praying and waiting for his return. When he 
came forth, he lifted up his hands and blessed them in 
the following words: "The Lord bless thee and keep 
thee : the Lord make his face shine upon thee, and 
be gracious unto thee ; the Lord lift up his counte- 
nance upon thee and give thee peace." Our great 



Christian Conduct. 171 

High Priest, having died and been buried and raised 
from the dead, ascended into heaven, into the true 
Holy of holies, into heaven itself to appear in the 
presence of God for us. He intercedes for us. He 
is waiting until all his enemies be made his footstool. 
But he is coming again, coming to deliver his people 
from the grave, to end the work of his beginning, to 
give his followers victory over death, to crown with 
himself in heaven, and reward each one according as 
his work shall be. In view of this hope, a hope 
blessed, comforting and living ; a hope which is as an 
anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, be his 
faithful disciple, live a righteous life, do good and 
form a character that will meet with his approval in 
the day of final retribution. The argument in this 
chapter for a righteous, sober and godly life is the 
same as in the fifteenth chapter of First Corinthians. 
The resurrection is first proved, being based on the 
resurrection of the Christ. The kind of body we 
shall have after the resurrection is set forth. It will 
be spiritual, immortal, glorious, powerful and incor- 
ruptible. It will be like the glorious and glorified 
body of our Saviour. "This mortal must put on 
immortality." Our victory over death is assured in 
the resurrection of Christ. Therefore, having such a 
hope, ' ' be steadfast immovable, always abounding in 
the work of the Lord." 

Another great truth to which the apostle gives ex- 
pression is this : Our Saviour's sacrifice for us. He 
gave himself for us. He loved us and gave himself 
an offering and sacrifice to God. "He died for all." 
Through his sacrifice we have redemption, the remis- 
sion of our sins. The object of his death is our re- 



172 Sermons. 

demption. He gave himself for us, that he might re- 
deem us from all iniquity, from sin, from death, from 
the dominion of the grave. Another purpose of his 
death, and a result of redemption through it, is our 
purification. "And purify unto himself a peculiar 
people." The expression, "peculiar people," is an 
unhappy and incorrect rendering of the original. The 
Revised Version reads : And purify unto himself a 
people for his own possession. The Bible Union 
Version reads : And cleanse for himself a people to 
be his own. Both the thought and language of this 
phrase are Jewish in their origin. Paul was well 
versed in the Hebrew Scriptures and had deeply im- 
bibed their spirit. The Jewish nation, redeemed 
from bondage out of Egypt and taken under the 
special protection and providence of Jehovah, was 
called his special people and peculiar treasure, his 
portion and inheritance. The word employed in these 
passages denotes a man's own property, his private 
possessions. David says: "I have given of mine 
own proper good [z. e. , of my private possessions] three 
thousand talents of gold and seven thousand talents 
of refined silver." Now that word which means a 
man's own possessions, his private property, is ap- 
plied throughout the Scriptures to God's people. 
They are his inheritance, his portion, his redeemed 
ones, his elect, his children, his jewels, his peculiar 
treasure. The Christ loved us and gave himself for 
us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and 
cleanse for himself a people to be his own, zealous of 
good works. Good works effect good for man. 
They honor God, and they insure a glorious reward 
in the future. Therefore abound in them, be zealous 



Christian Conduct. 173 

of them, take the lead in good works ; be careful to 
maintain them, to become established and to be made 
perfect in every good work. 

The apostle adds: " These things speak; con- 
cerning these things I will that thou affirm con- 
stantly." Give utterance to them ; make them 
prominent in your public teaching. Now here is the 
course of conduct prescribed: Live soberly, right- 
eously and godly in this present world; abound in all 
good works. The gospel is a divine revelation ; its 
object is to save men of all classes. Christ is your 
Redeemer ; he purchased you with his own blood ; 
you are his portion, his inheritance, his people, his 
jewels, his special treasure; his hand is upon you for 
good ; his power keeps you through faith ; he is com- 
ing again ; he will deliver you from the grave ; he will 
give you victory over death ; he will glorify you in 
the everlasting kingdom. He is faithful who has 
promised. Glory be to his name. I trust there are 
some here to-day who are ready to enter upon the 
course of conduct recommended, to begin to live to 
Christ and according to God in the spirit. Dost thou 
believe on the Son of God? Hast thou faith? 
Have you confidence in his divine mission, in his 
life and miracles, in his atoning death, resurrection, in- 
tercession, power to save all who put their trust in him ? 

Read and commit to memory the twelfth chapter 
of Romans, the thirteenth of First Corinthians, the 
fifth of Ephesians, the whole of the epistle to the 
Philippians, the first chapter of Second Peter, and the 
second chapter of Titus. Read these Scriptures, pon- 
der them, meditate upon them, and resolve that your 
life shall be brought into accord with them. 



174 Sermons. 

One thought more. Next to the study of such 
Scriptures and the example of Jesus, the most profit- 
able, instructive and edifying kind of reading is the 
biography of good men and women. Too little of 
this sort of reading is done by Christian people. The 
reading of the story of the faith, purity, sufferings, 
heroic endeavors, temptations, fears, longings, sacri- 
fices and final triumphs of godly men and women is 
stimulating and beneficial. 



PRAYER AND THE FAITH CURE. 

The earnest prayer of a righteous man availeth much. 
(James v. 16). 

At the opening of my discourse this evening on 
the subject of prayer, I wish to state distinctly to you 
and in your hearing, my full confidence in two things. 
The efficacy of prayer. God is not only pleased to 
have men pray to him in sincerity and faith, but 
prayer avails with him. It is a great moral power in 
the universe; it sets in motion unseen forces, which 
operate to produce wondrous results. There is, doubt- 
less, much of mystery connected with the subject, 
which we are unable to fathom ; but the study of the 
Holy Scriptures and meditation thereon, faith in un- 
seen realities, moral discernment, quickness in appre- 
hension in spiritual things, and, above all, prayer 
itself will teach us many things most comforting and 
profitable to know. By the word efficacy, in the sense 
in. which I now use the term, I mean the certain ten- 
dency of prayer to make man better, to improve his 
character and life, to purify his affections, to cleanse 
his heart, to exalt his thoughts, and to bring him into 
union, association and fellowship with God. In prayer 
we not only come near to God and approach the 
mercy-seat, but we are changed from glory to glory 
into his image, and our whole moral nature is renewed 
and sanctified. The man who prays much and often, 
who tarries at the throne of grace and delights to be 



176 Sermons. 

in the company of his God, will become increasingly- 
like God, will become assimilated to him in char- 
acter, will reflect his spirit and manifest his moral 
dispositions. All this our own experience teaches 
us, which is the best and most satisfactory kind of 
teaching. 

This view of prayer, in bringing the suppliant 
near to God and conforming him to his image, may 
be illustrated by one's being out on the water in 
a boat and drawing himself to the shore by means 
of a rope fastened to some stationary object. 
The shore does not move, but he moves toward the 
shore. So in and through prayer we draw nigh 
to God. This illustration is good, but it does 
not teach the whole truth. There is more in prayer 
than it implies. It presents only one aspect of the 
subject. " Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh 
to you." 

Hence, the second thing in which I have full confi- 
dence is the revealed truth that God hears prayer, 
answers it, gives, in answer to the cries of his chil- 
dren, what, without these, he will withhold. This is 
the meaning of the word "avails" in the text. 
Prayer not only "makes the darkened clouds with- 
draw, climbs the ladder Jacob saw, gives exercise to 
faith and love, and makes the Christian's armor 
bright," but it is efficacious with God; it brings 
every blessing from above, summons to our aid 
the holy angels, is the power which moves the 
hand that moves the world. This is the doctrine 
of the Scriptures. " My God will hear me." " He 
shall call upon me, and I will answer him." "This 
poor man cried, and Jehovah heard him, and saved 



Prayer and the Faith Cure. 177 

him out of all his troubles." "And it shall come 
to pass that before they call, I will answer ; and 
while they are yet speaking, I will hear." "I 
love the Lord because he hath heard my voice 
and my supplications. Because he hath inclined 
his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as 
long as I live." 

The psalmist was conscious that Jehovah had an- 
swered his petitions, therefore he loved him ; and [in 
the assurance that his supplications had been heard in 
heaven, he found encouragement to continue in 
prayer, and resolved to call on the name of the Lord 
as long as he lived. The New Testament teaches the 
same doctrine. Our Saviour says: "Ask, and you 
shall receive ; seek, and you shall find ; knock, and it 
shall be opened to you." Again: "Whatsoever you 
shall ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive. " " If 
you, then, being evil, know how to give good gifts 
unto your children, how much more will your Father 
in heaven give good things to those who ask him." 
" If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye 
shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you." 
These promises of Jesus are definite, explicit and re- 
markably clear. They are not in the least equivocal 
or ambiguous. The apostle Paul says: "Be anxious 
about nothing, but in everything, by prayer and sup- 
plication with thanksgiving, let your request be made 
known to God." And James: " If any one among 
you is lacking in wisdom, let him ask of God, who 
gives to all liberally, and upbraids not, and it will be 
given him. " And in our text: "Confess your faults 
to one another, and pray for one another that ye may 
be healed. ' ' Paul prayed that by the will of God he 



178 Sermons. 

might have a prosperous journey in coming to the 
church at Rome, and in due time he came. His re- 
quest was granted. In Scripture the promises to 
prayer are abundant, assuring, very plain and unam- 
biguous. What does God give in answer to prayer ? 
What has he promised? Miraculous power, or that 
which is better? This question is exciting a good 
deal of attention and interest, in certain circles, both 
in Europe and America. As you doubtless know, 
there are performed what are called " faith cures." 
We hear and read of these every once in a while in 
the papers. It is claimed that persons afflicted with 
chronic and incurable diseases are, in answer to 
prayer, restored to health instantaneously ; or, at least, 
after prayer is offered for their recovery, they begin at 
once to mend, and continue to mend until they are 
perfectly restored ; and it is further claimed that these 
cures are effected by miraculous power, by the direct 
agency of God, exerted in response to prayer offered 
on their behalf, and for their restoration to health. 
In Switzerland, Miss Dorothea Trudel, now dead, 
established a " faith cure." It was claimed by her, 
and for her by others, that by prayer and anointing 
with oils she could cure maladies incurable by natural 
means, or by the skill of the most eminent physi- 
cians; and cripples, persons suffering from various 
chronic diseases and divers maladies which their phys- 
icians could not remove, resorted from the whole 
country round about, some going hundreds of miles 
to her humble home in a village of Switzerland to 
be cured ; and it is said that many were cured by 
her instrumentality. She provided, for those not 
able to provide it for themselves, food and religious 



Prayer and the Faith Cure. 179 

instruction. Religious services were held daily ; the 
Scriptures were read and commented upon. Miss 
Trudel is dead, but the work she inaugurated goes 
on. Dr. Cullis, of Boston, has a faith cure, a con- 
sumptives' home, a charity institution, and it is 
affirmed that he cures people by what seems at 
least supernatural power, e. g., a boy's arm was 
broken, and it is reported that the broken bone was 
cured instantaneously. Other cases are published as 
having been cured by him. You may have read in 
the papers a few days ago of a gentleman in 
Taylorsville, Pa., who had been unable to walk 
erect for many years, but was cured instantaneously 
and miraculously. And a statement v/as published 
by a physician asserting that the facts were as 
stated. Miss Carrie Judd, of Buffalo, is also doing 
a work similar in kind to that which is being done 
by Dr. Cullis at Boston, though on a smaller scale. 
A few years ago a lady was sick for many months; 
her strength failed ; she was prostrated by disease ; 
she could not walk, she could not sit up in her 
bed. Physicians administered remedies and did what 
they could for her, but she grew no better, and her 
case was regarded as hopeless. She heard of a 
colored women in Connecticut who had great power 
with God in prayer, and, in answer to whose prayers 
it was said sick persons were restored to health, 
and by whose intercession it is claimed that she 
was restored. 

I mention these cases, and refer to them with 
some particularity, to bring them before you, be- 
cause they are attracting some attention and awaken- 
ing some inquiry and thought among religious people. 



180 Sermons. 

Ministers are discussing them. We should consider 
these questions calmly, temperately, prayerfully. 
We should seek for light and knowledge. ' ' Prove 
all things; hold fast that which is good," says an 
apostle. This command implies some test, perfect 
rule, canon or law, some standard of authority, by 
which we are to test, and with which we are to 
compare all things, and that is "good" which 
accords with that standard. We should not be dog- 
matic. Dogmatism is a wicked thing, and some of us, 
perhaps unintentionally, may be guilty of it. Nor 
should we be too positive in our assertions, or too 
tenacious of our opinions. Our light is not very 
brilliant; our knowledge is very limited: "Now we 
see through a glass darkly." "We know but in 
part," and the part that we know is very small com- 
pared with what we do not know. Hence, our atti- 
tude should be that of inquirers and students of the 
Sacred Word, by which we are to try everything. In 
prayer, in its workings, in its effect on the mind of the 
petitioner and on God, in the forces it may set in 
motion, there is so much of mystery, it becomes us 
to be humble and to refrain from dogmatism. Now, 
I ask, are these cures miraculous in the true sense? 
Are they effected by the immediate agency of God ? 
It is entirely within the power of our God to work 
miracles. Jehovah, the infinite and eternal one, who 
is omnipotent, who made and upholds the universe, 
can do whatever he pleases — whatever his infinite 
wisdom sees to be proper, right and necessary to be 
done. He can cure disease ; he can heal the most 
obstinate maladies — those which baffle the skill of the 
most distinguished physicians. He can raise the 



Prayer and the Faith Cure. 181 

dead. He who made the laws of nature and keeps 
them in operation can suspend them and work 
above, outside of and without them if he chooses. 
Jehovah is not limited, confined or restricted to 
anything or to anybody. He is sovereign, inde- 
pendent, great in counsel and mighty in work- 
ing. All revealed religion rests on miracles, was 
introduced into the world, established and con- 
firmed by miracles, by signs and wonders and 
mighty deeds which God did in the presence of 
the people. Moses and the prophets wrought 
miracles. Jesus wrought miracles. The apostles 
wrought miracles. Divine revelation was attested 
and proved to be from God by miracles ; but it 
may reasonably be doubted, I think, whether any 
miracles have been wrought since the canon of 
revelation was completed, not because our God can not 
work them, but whether it is best he should, — that is 
a debatable question. 

I remark again, there are many things for which 
we must pray, or ought to pray, conditionally or with 
a proviso. We may ask that such and such things 
may be granted us, if it be pleasing to God to give 
them. We should say, "Give or withhold, as 
seems best to thee. Thy will be done." The 
will of God is the will of one who is infinitely 
wise, good, kind and beneficent. He is the sover- 
eign disposer of all events; all times and seasons 
and hearts are in his hand ; and he is working 
all things after the counsel of his own will. There- 
fore it is best for all his creatures that his will 
should be done, and the spirit of entire sub- 
mission thereto should be earnestly cherished by 



1 82 Sermons. 

us. This remark ought to be applied to prayer 
for all temporal good, for all blessings of an earthly 
nature. We should say : * * If it please thee, O 
Father, if it be according to thy will, grant this for 
thy Son's sake." For example, an astronomer in 
the State of New York requests that special prayer 
be offered for fair and clear weather next Wed- 
nesday, December 6th, when the transit of Venus 
is to take place. 

In the spirit of resignation we may pray for rain 
in dry weather, for bountiful harvests, for fruitfulness 
of soil, for the divine blessing on our daily business, 
for riches, if we are quite sure we can be as good 
after riches are gotten as before ; for restoration of 
health when sick, and so on. We have the example 
of the apostle Paul for this kind of prayer for tem- 
poral guidance and blessings. When he wrote the 
letter to the church at Rome, he had never been in 
that city ; but for many years he had had in his heart 
a desire to visit Rome, and had made it a subject of 
much prayer. (Rom. i. 9,10). "God is my witness 
that without ceasing I made mention of you always in 
my' prayers ; making request if by any means now at 
length I might have a prosperous journey by the 
will of God to come unto you." But there are 
other . things, and many things, in the asking for 
which we need make no proviso; because they are 
distinctly promised, and are given in answer to earnest 
believing prayer. 

I close with this exhortation: "Be anxious about 
nothing." Do not fret; do not worry; be calm, quiet 
and peaceful within. The second part of the exhorta- 
tion is this: "In everything, by prayer and supplica- 



Prayer and the Faith Cure. 183 

tion, with thanksgiving, let your request be made 
known to God." 

Now the promise : ' ' The peace of God which 
passeth all understanding will keep your hearts and 
your minds in Christ Jesus." 



ENERGETIC PRAYER. 

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for an- 
other, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer 
of a righteous man availeth much. (James v. 16). 

You will notice the statement is not that every prayer, 
offered, no matter by whom, avails with God. The 
sacred writer carefully guards his statement. The char- 
acter of the petitioner, the state of his mind and heart, 
his past life and record, his present standing in the 
sight of Him who weighs every spirit in the balances of 
strictest justice, and to whose omniscient eye all things 
seem just as they are, must be taken into account in esti- 
mating the efficacy of prayer. ' ' The sacrifice of the, 
wicked is an abomination unto the Lord." The man 
who would have power with God, who would receive 
from the Lord, and be heard in heaven by the Most 
High, must be righteous in his sight as was Moses and 
Samuel and Elijah, Paul, John and Jesus. Such men, 
mighty by reason of their righteousness, and influential 
for good, enlist on their behalf and summon to their 
assistance all the resources of infinite power, wisdom 
and love. Again, it is not every prayer of even a 
righteous man that avails with God. It is what is 
called the "effectual fervent" prayer. The word 
"effectual" adds nothing to the strength of this ex- 
pression. In the Greek original there is but one word ; 
and that is the word from which we get the term 
energy. It is the energetic, fervent prayer ; the prayer 

full of energy, in which the soul, mind and whole moral 
184 



Energetic Prayer. 185 

nature are stirred up to take hold of God, to reason 
with him, to plead his promises, and earnestly ask for 
their fulfillment and to wrestle with him as did the pa- 
triarch Jacob. Many lack fervency and energy, in 
their petitions ; they are formal, cold and heartless. 
They do not, as saith the prophet, " stir themselves up 
to take hold of God, " and with all confidence urge their 
suit. Now, the prayer of a righteous man availeth 
much — to a high degree and to a large extent. In two 
senses does this kind of prayer avail much. 1. In its 
influence and power to conform the human soul to the 
divine image. All true worship, especially worship in 
frequent believing prayer, makes man like God whom 
he worships. 2. It avails much in the sense that it in- 
fluences the divine mind, moves the divine heart, 
brings wisdom, strength, power and quickening from 
on high. Jacob wrestled with God in supplication ; 
and, because of the prevalence of his prayer, his name 
was changed to' Israel, which means Prince of God, for 
"asa prince," it was said to him, "thou hast power 
with God and with men, and hast prevailed." He ob- 
tained the desired blessing. Moses' prayer saved the 
whole nation of Israel from complete overthrow and 
destruction. By reason of their sin and idolatry, Jeho. 
vah was provoked to anger, and he said to Moses : 
"Let me alone, that I may consume them." 

Samuel prayed, and while the sky was cloudless, in 
the midst of wheat harvest, when rain was not com- 
mon, and the sun was shining, without any of the 
usual indications of rain, Jehovah caused it to thunder 
and rain that the people might know that Samuel was 
a prophet sent of God. By miracles wrought in 
answer to his petitions, his prophetical character was 



1 86 Sermons. 

established. It was thus shown to the people that he 
had a commission direct from Jehovah. The same was 
true of Moses and the prophets. Elijah was at Zare- 
phath, near Sidon, in the north of Palestine. 

" Elijah was a man of like nature with us, and he 
prayed earnestly that it might not rain : and it rained 
not on the earth by the space of three years and six 
months. " Sometimes angels were sent from heaven to 
answer prayer. (Daniel ix., Acts xii.) 

The question, therefore, is not whether miracles 
were at one time performed in response to the cries of 
righteous man. This is admitted by all who believe 
the Bible. The question is : Are miracles wrought 
now, to-day, here and there in this country and in 
other parts of the world ? Especially, are the sick cured 
by miraculous power ? Are chronic maladies removed 
by the direct agency of God? Does our God suspend 
the laws of nature, or operate without them, above 
them and independently of them, to fure this chronic 
disorder, or restore to physical soundness that para- 
lytic ? My reply is in the negative ; my belief is, he 
does not. Jehovah is almighty, omnipotent, all-power- 
ful ; yet, I think, you must be aware of the fact that 
he is very conservative, sparing, economical in regard 
to the expenditure of power. He expends no power 
needlessly : even in Bible times miracles were not of 
very frequent occurrence ; and so far as I know, God 
never performed a miracle for the sake of the person 
through whom he performed it ; and further, as I be- 
live, and so far as I know, he never wrought a miracle 
for the sake of the person on whom it was wrought ; 
but always for the sake of the people, to convince them 
that the man or men working the miracle were sent 



Energetic Prayer. 187 

by him to do a certain work for humanity, or to re- 
veal divine saving truth for the benefit of mankind. 
This was true even of the miracles of Jesus. At the 
grave of Lazarus he prayed : he raised his eyes heaven- 
ward and offered up a short petition, in which he said : 

" Father, I thank thee that chou hast heard me. And I 
know that thou nearest me always : but because of the peo- 
ple which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou 
hast sent me " 

I now give some reasons for denying the validity of 
modern miracles, so called ; reason for the opinions that 
in the scriptural sense they are not now performed in 
answer to prayej, and have not been since the end of the 
apostolic age. And, first, it does not comport with the 
design for which miracles were wrought to suppose their 
indefinite continuance. What was that design ? It 
was to establish divine revelations made, and to con- 
firm divine truths revealed : in other words, it was to 
prove to the world that the one who performed miracles 
was sent from God, had a mission direct from him, and 
was charged by him to make known to men inspired 
truth. Miracles are for a sign, not to those who be- 
lieve, but to those who believe not. Their original 
purpose was to convince the unbelieving. Christ's 
miracles all had this object in view. He wrought 
them by power given by the Father who sent him ; 
and says: "The works that I do in my Father's 
name, they bear witness of me." Jesus was a man 
accredited to the Jews from God by miracles, and 
wonders, and signs which God did by him. His di- 
vine mission was for evermore established .by the mir- 
acles he wrought, and which were wrought on him, 
especially his resurrection from the dead. Again, he 



1 88 Sermons. 

sent the apostles, and they performed miracles in his 
name, by power conferred on them by the ascended, 
glorified Redeemer. Hence, their mission as his am- 
bassadors and inspired apostles was confirmed and 
established by the signs and wonders they did in his 
name. ' ' The great salvation began to be spoken by the 
Lord was confirmed unto us by them that heard him, 
God also bearing them witness both with signs and won- 
ders and divers miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost." 

Now, what is the necessary conclusion ? This 
Christianity, or religion of Christ, is a demonstrated 
religion : when introduced into the world, it was con- 
firmed, and, by many infallible proofs, shown to be 
from God ; it is divine in its origin : hence, from the 
death of the apostles to the present hour, there has 
been no need of miracles, and I do not believe one has 
been performed by anybody, anywhere. 

My second reason for saying that miracles are not 
now performed is this: There is a better way, i. e., 
a way better than the way of miracles, of extending 
the truth, of building up the Master's kingdom, of pro- 
moting the conversion of sinners, and the edification of 
the saints. Yes, a better way ; the good way gave 
place to the better. The great theologian of the New 
Testament and the greatest miracle-worker among the 
apostles is our authority for the statement. Paul says : 
"Desire earnestly the greater gifts; and yet I show 
to you a more excellent way." " More excellent " is 
a term of comparison. There was one way, chosen at 
the beginning, for the promulgation and establishment 
of the Gospel, which was excellent. That was the way 
of miracles, described at great length by the apostle 
in the twelfth chapter of First Corinthians. The church 



Energetic Prayer. 189 

at Corinth came behind in no gift. Her members were 
richly endowed with the power to work all kinds of 
miracles. But the apostle says : "I show to you a 
more excellent way. " What is that ? The way of 
love, described at length, and with minuteness of de- 
detail, in the thirteenth chapter. Yes, my hearers, 
love, glowing in the heart, speaking through the lips, 
shining out in all the life and conduct, manifested in 
every act, will do more to propagate Christianity, and 
show its divine power and heavenly origin, than all the 
miracles men could possibly work. The church at 
Corinth, although more richly endowed with spiritual 
gifts than any other in the apostolic age, was the most 
disorderly, the least spiritual, and needed more correc- 
tion and rebuke and chastisement than any other church 
planted by the apostles. "Love is the fulfillment of 
the law, the bond of perfectness," and its production 
in our hearts and sway over our lives is the one great 
end of all divine revelation. "The end of the mes- 
sage is love out of a pure heart and a good conscience, 
and of faith unfeigned." In conclusion, let me give 
you this advice : Be steadfast ; be established in the 
truth ; be immovable ; be rooted and grounded in 
God's great revelation, rest and build on the rock ; 
don't be moved by afflictions; nor by infidels in their 
assaults on the citadel of divine truth. I call you every 
one to Christ, the divine source of truth, and life and 
salvation. Receive him, and he will bring you safe to 
his heavenly kingdom. 



THE HIGHEST GOOD. 

And we know that all things work together for good to 
them that love God, to them who are the called according to 
his purpose. (Rom. viii. 28). 

This is a great proposition, a most precious prom- 
ise. I know of none more comforting in the entire 
revelation of God, nor better calculated to encourage 
the Christian in the good warfare and struggle for final 
victory in his efforts to obtain the incorruptible crown 
of glory that fades not away. We love God, and give 
proof of it by cheerful and joyous obedience to his 
will. We have been called through the gospel, in 
harmony with the divine purpose, out of darkness into 
his marvelous light, into the fellowship of his Son, 
Jesus Christ, our Lord ; and by giving all diligence we 
will make our calling and final election to everlasting 
glory sure. Then " all things," however unpropitious, 
discordant or adverse to us they may seem to be, are 
working together for our good, to promote and 
perfect our salvation here, and prepare us for the ever- 
lasting harmonies in the beatific state. All events, all 
times and seasons, all providences, all divine dispensa- 
tions, however afflictive they may be, all trials and 
sorrows, all temptations, conflicts and doubts, all the 
influences of divine grace and truth, all strength given 
as well as withheld, every occurrence in life, if we are 
guided by the word of God, everything, all things 
without exception, are working together for our final 

and eternal good. Even the trials, the temptations 

190 



The Highest Good. 191 

and disappointments of this life are making us meet 
and fitting us for the life to come — building us up in a 
character for eternity. Perhaps you have been in a 
piano manufactory ; if so, you did not go there for the 
sake of music, but to observe the process by which 
the instruments are made. It is a large building with 
several different shops or working apartments closely 
connected together. Into one shop the rough, un- 
planed boards necessary to the construction of the 
instrument are brought ; in another they are planed 
and made smooth ; in another they are painted and 
varnished ; in another place the keys are made ; in 
another the sounding boards ; into another all the dif- 
ferent parts are taken and put together; and finally 
the whole is taken into the tuning room into which 
you go, and you may say : ' ' My dear sir, this is a 
dreadful place to be in ; I can not bear it ; such 
screeching and discord ; I thought you made music 
here." They say : "No, we do not produce music 
here ; we make the instruments and tune them here, 
and in the process much discord is forthcoming. The 
music is made in the parlors into which the pianos, 
when completed, are taken." 

Such, it seems to me, is the Church of God on 
earth. Our Father, the great Builder, the divine 
Architect, makes the instruments in this world and 
tunes them, and a great deal of discord is perceptible ; 
there is much that is apparently out of joint and inhar- 
monious, but all things are working towards one great 
end, viz., our preparation for the kingdom of eternal 
glory, and all that is necessary to fit us for that kingdom 
and the everlasting harmonies up yonder. "Let us 
be patient; these severe afflictions not from the 



192 Sermons. 

ground arise, but oftentimes celestial benedictions 
assume this dark disguise." "The Lord God will 
swallow up death in victory." How strong and force- 
ful is the language of Scripture ! Uninspired writers 
can not equal the majesty and strength of its diction. 
"The sublimity of the Scriptures amazes me," said 
an infidel. ' ' The majesty of the Scriptures strikes 
me with awe, " said a believer. "The words that I 
speak to you, they are spirit and they are life." The 
sorrows of earth will forever end in the joys of 
heaven ! You will notice the apostle speaks very con- 
fidently]; his language is the language of assurance, of 
firm and positive conviction. He does not say : We 
think, we hope, we trust ; nor does he say even, We 
believe that all things work together for good ; but in 
a tone most triumphant he says: " We know, we are 
fully assured, we have a strong, deep and settled con- 
viction that everything is joined to every other thing 
to produce present and ultimate good to those who 
love God." "I know whom I have trusted." How 
did the apostle know this, and by what means came 
he to this most comforting of all knowledge that a 
man may possibly have in this life ? His knowledge 
came from two sources: 1. From inspiration; from 
the direct teaching and revelation of the Divine 
Spirit. To the apostle, the Holy Spirit was given as 
a Spirit of knowledge, of revelation, of special illu- 
mination, as well as a Spirit of power, of love and a 
sound mind. We affirm our belief in the full and 
complete inspiration of the apostles, the ambassadors 
of our King. The Christ promised them the Spirit to 
guide them into all the truth. Into a knowledge of 
the truth they were guided ; they spoke and wrote as 



The Highest Good. 193 

the Spirit gave them utterance ; and hence their teach- 
ing is authoritative, final, and comes to us with the 
sanction of heaven. To deny this is to take away the 
foundation from the edifice of divine truth, and leaves 
us on a boundless ocean without pilot, chart or com- 
pass to show us whither we are going. Here, then, 
is a declaration, a great promise from our heavenly 
Father, given to his children, and on which, therefore, 
we may confidently rely. 

2. The apostle knew this from his own past expe- 
rience. The providences of God, taken in connection 
with their influence on his own inner life, taught him 
this great lesson. At the time these words were writ- 
ten, Paul was a veteran in the service of Christ. He 
was between sixty and seventy years of age ; the 
great missionary apostle to the Gentiles, chosen to 
bear the name of Christ before Gentiles and kings as 
well as the sons of Israel, he had traveled through 
many countries of the Roman Empire, through 
Syria, Asia Minor, Macedonia, Greece, Italy and the 
islands of the Mediterranean; he had preached the 
gospel and established churches in all the principal 
cities of that mightiest empire the world had ever 
seen ; he had passed through many dangers and met 
with many narrow escapes ; he had been persecuted 
at Damascus, at Jerusalem, at Philippi. Several years 
of his life he had spent in prison. Read his own in- 
ventory of the sufferings he had endured in preaching 
the gospel, in the eleventh chapter of Second Cor- 
inthians. O, how great things he suffered for Christ's 
sake ! When called to the apostolic office, Jesus said 
to Ananias: "I will show him how great things he 
must suffer for my name's sake." He sacrificed all for 



194 Sermons. 

Christ's sake He says : "What things are gain to me, 
these I accounted loss for Christ." 

I direct your attention to the reason given by the 
apostle for the precious promise, whose meaning I 
have thus sought to unfold. "All things work to- 
gether for good to those who are called according to 
his purpose." Here are four great links in the golden 
chain of human redemption : the divine foreknowledge 
and predestination, which latter is conformity to the 
image, u e. y likeness to the character of the beloved 
Son, who is the chief among the ten thousands and 
the one altogether lovely. In a two- fold sense is he 
the first born from the dead, the first fruits of those 
who sleep. He rose to die no more. Again, in his 
glorified body he entered into heaven as our forerun- 
ner and representative ; and into the same heaven his 
redeemed shall enter with a body like his. The divine 
call given through the gospel: "Whom he predes- 
tined, them he also called." Justification: "Whom 
he called, them he also justified." Glorification: 
" Whom he justified, them he also glorified." Glori- 
fied them with Christ, exalted them to a state of bliss 
and perfection in heaven. You will observe that the 
apostle, throughout this passage, speaks in the past 
tense ; he represents all these divine acts as past. 

God, before whose omniscience all things are 
present and seen in the clearest light, with whom a 
thousand years is as one day, and one day as a thou- 
sand years, to whom the past, present and future are all 
alike, has a great end in view, an object to accomplish, 
a beneficent purpose to work out ; he is working all 
things after the counsel of his own will. As Tenny- 
son says : "There is one far-off, divine event, toward 



The Highest Good. 195 

which the whole creation moves," that is, the glorifi- 
cation of his redeemed, their eternal salvation, their 
exaltation to supreme felicity in the skies; and he 
sees very clearly what is necessary to the carrying out 
of his purpose and the accomplishment of his de- 
signs; and sin itself, sorrow, weakness, infirmity, 
temptation, trials, disappointments, losses, sickness, 
affliction of various kinds, and death — all these enter 
into the great plan of our Father, are necessary to its 
complete fulfillment, and by him are overruled for the 
ultimate good of his people. Such is the argument 
and the reasoning of the apostle in this passage. The 
whole chapter, of which it is the center and principal 
part, is to me one of the richest in the mine of re- 
vealed truth. It is often said, " What is first in design 
is last in execution." In looking into the scheme of 
redemption, what is our Father's ultimate purpose? 
What does he propose to himself through the gospel 
and by means of the mission, sacrifice and resurrection 
of his Son ? Nothing short of this : the exaltation of 
the redeemed to eternal glory in the skies, to a state 
of perfect bliss and holiness in the kingdom of heaven. 
He gave his Son to be our ransomer, to emancipate 
and deliver us from the love, power and guilt of sin, 
and carry our rescued nature triumphant and victorious 
over death and the grave, to the throne in heaven. 
Such is his beneficent purpose, and such the end to- 
ward which all the influences of divine truth, grace 
and love in the gospel are tending. A question of 
supreme importance to each one arises here: Am I 
one of the elect? Am I one of those who come 
within the sphere of the divine predestination ? Is 
my name written in the book of life ? Will I shine as 



196 Sermons. 

the brightness of the firmament, and as one of the 
stars forever and ever ? That question may be easily 
and correctly answered. Are you being conformed 
to Christ's image, character or likeness as God's Son ? 
Let us adore our God for the exceeding riches of 
his grace in Christ Jesus, and go on our way rejoicing 
in hope of the glory of God. 



THE ETERNAL PURPOSE. 

Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this 
garace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the 
unsearchable riches of Christ ; and to make all men see what 
is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning 
of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by 
Jesus Christ ; to the intent that now unto the principalities 
and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church 
the manifold wisdom of God, according to the eternal pur- 
pose in Christ Jesus our Iyord. (Kphesians iii. 8-u.) 

In the eighth chapter of the epistle to the Romans, 
and the twenty-eighth verse, the inspired writer says : 
" We know that all things work together for 
good to those who love God, to those who are the 
called according to his purpose." A most precious 
and comforting promise to those who have faith suffi- 
cient to apppropriate it, and who are walking by faith 
in the Son of God. It is not to every one, however, 
that all things work together for good. The apostle 
does not say nor teach that. The promise is limited, 
confined, restricted to a certain class — " those who 
are the called according to his purpose." As to such 
all things are working together for their good, their 
moral and spiritual discipline, their Christian culture, 
final salvation and preparation for eternal glory ; so to 
the wicked, unbelieving and disobedient, all things 
are working together for their destruction and final 

overthrow. As for such as turn aside to their evil 

197 



198 Sermons. 

ways, Jehovah shall lead them forth with the workers 
of iniquity. All the wicked God will destroy. The 
wicked shall be turned into hell, with all the nations 
that forget God. Do not make the mistake, therefore, 
of claiming a promise which is not given to you. 
How important it is to love God, and what great issues 
grow out of love to him. God loves us with an ever- 
lasting love ; and we are to love Him who first loved 
us. I love them that love me, God says. If a man 
love me, he will keep my works, and my Father will 
love him, and we will come to him, and make our abode 
with him. If any man love God, the same is known of 
him ; or the same is made to know of him. Happy 
the man that endures trial, because when he has been 
approved he will receive the crown of life which the 
Lord has promised to them that love him. Hath not 
God chosen the poor as to this world to be rich in faith, 
and heirs of the kingdom which he has promised to 
those who love him ? Thus it is taught that the love 
of God, i. e. , his love for us, his favor and approval of 
our character, our knowledge of him, the crown of 
life and the eternal kingdom depend on our loving 
God. I quoted the passage in the eighth of Romans 
with which I commenced my discourse, not so much 
for the promise it contains as to direct your attention to 
the word ' "purpose." Those who love God, and those 
who are the called according to his purpose mean the 
same persons. I am to inquire to-day as to the di- 
vine purpose in regard to those who follow the Christ. 
In the first chapter of Second Timothy, and the ninth 
verse, the apostle says : ' ' God saved us, and called 
us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but 
according to his own purpose and the grace which was 



The Eternal Purpose. 199 

given us in Christ Jesus before eternal ages." Again, 
in Ephesians it is written : "In whom [i. e. t in Christ,] 
we also have obtained an inheritance, having been pre- 
destinated according to the purpose of him who is 
working all things after his own will." Again, I quote 
the text. Grace was given to the apostle to preach 
among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of the Christ, 
to the intent that now to the principalities and powers 
in the heavenly places might be mad$ known through 
the church the manifold wisdom of God, according to 
the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus 
our Lord. In these texts the following truths are plainly 
taught : First, God has a purpose in his mind in the 
scheme of redemption, in regard to us, and all the 
followers of his Son — a purpose that runs through the 
ages — one far-off divine event toward which the whole 
creation moves; a purpose to the full and complete 
excution of which all the resources of heaven and earth 
are tributary. Second, this purpose is in Christ ; is 
made in him, and apart from him it will never be 
accomplished. 3. It is an eternal purpose. It laid in 
the divine mind from the beginning; it was not an 
afterthought, but a forethought. 4. The coming of 
the Messiah, his manifestation in the flesh, his life and 
miracles, his atoning death and resurrection, the preach- 
ing of the gospel to both Jew and Gentile, through all 
these, the disclosure of God's manifold wisdom to the 
principalities and powers in the heavenly places is but 
the partial execution of this benign and gracious pur- 
pose. What is the meaning of the word purpose? 
Webster defines it thus : ' * That which a person sets be- 
fore himself as an object to be reached or accomplished ; 
the end or aim to which the view is directed in any 



200 Sermons. 

plan, measure or exertion ; end in view, design or in- 
tention." Accepting this definition as entirely cor- 
rect, I ask what is God's purpose concerning us ? What 
has he set before himself as the object to be reached 
or accomplished in Christ through the gospel of his 
grace? There is but one source of information on 
this subject ; but one book in which the question is 
answered, which throws any light on it whatever. 
Reject the Bible, and the question is both unanswered 
and unanswerable. This life, our existence in the 
world, the pain, misery and suffering incident thereto 
and growing out of the circumstances that surround 
us, our destiny in the future, whither we are going, 
what is to become of us when we die ; — All these are 
an enigma, a riddle, an unexplained and an unexplain- 
able mystery to him who has no Bible or who rejects 
the one Bible God has given. But now, by faith and in 
imagination, taking our stand in the very center of the 
divine mind, being admitted to the secret of his coun- 
sel ; knowing his innermost thought concerning us ; 
given the Bible as a revelation of the divine character, 
will and purposes, the miracles and teaching of the 
Christ as the great demonstration of his Messiahship ; 
his life as an example of all righteousness, goodness, 
beneficence, mercy, purity and love ; his death as an 
atonement and sacrifice for sin ; his resurrection as 
bringing to us the hope of eternal life ; his intercession 
through which power is imparted to the believing 
heart, — given all these, we ask, what is God's purpose 
concerning us ? Perhaps you answer, It is to save us. 
True, but unless you use the word " save " in a very 
comprehensive sense it does not cover the whole 
ground. Sometimes the word " salvation " means for- 



The Eternal Purpose. 201 

giveness, the remission of sins, as ' ' he that believes 
and is baptized shall be saved ;" or " repent and be bap- 
tized upon the name of Jesus Christ for the remission 
of your sins." Sometimes it means stability and fixed- 
ness of Christian character, as where Peter says : "As 
new-born babes long for the spiritual unadulterated 
milk, that you may grow thereby unto salvation/' i. e., 
unto strength, fixedness and beauty of Christian char- 
acter. In other passages it means deliverance from 
the grave, as in the words, ' ' kept by the power of God 
through faith unto a salvation ready to be revealed in 
the last time, "t. e. y the resurrection or deliverance from 
the dominion of death. Hence, the word " salvation," 
unless it is used in a sense wider than it has in any 
single text, is not comprehensive enough to include 
the whole of the divine purpose as it respects us who 
believe. What then shall we say ? What is God's 
purpose in redemption ? In what terms shall we ex- 
press or define it ? My answer is this : God's purpose 
is to make a choice of his children like his Son, Jesus 
the Christ. This is the divine, supreme purpose. We 
are taken into partnership with Jesus Christ, are asso- 
ciated with him, have fellowship with him; we are to 
bear his image, and be made like him in all respects 
and in each particular. The word rendered " fellow- 
ship " is derived from a word which signifies common, 
i: e.y equally belonging to several or to all. Whatever 
Christ has, or is, we share within it, under the power of 
faith and the influence of the divine Spirit and grace. 
Like Christ, resemblance or conformity to him in all 
things. This is one great purpose our God has in his 
mind respecting us. And this likeness or resemblance 
is two-fold : first, spiritual ; second, physical : first, 



202 Sermons. 

internal ; second, external. It relates to the mind, 
heart, soul, and also to the body or person. Behold 
the Son of God in what he was as to his character 
when on earth, and in what he is now in heaven, in 
the glory, honor and dignity of his person ; all that it 
is the divine purpose to make us through the gospel. 
Let me now prove from the one book of authority 
what I have said. At the beginning of this sermon I 
quoted the twenty-eighth verse of the eighth chapter 
of Romans : ' ' We know that all things work together 
for good to those who love God," etc. The sacred 
writer gives a reason for this great promise, adding : 
"For [/. e, y because] whom he knew, he also did pre- 
destinate or foreordain to be conformed to the image 
of his Son, that he might be the first-born among many 
brethren." The word image in this text means like- 
ness, resemblance or character. Likeness or conform- 
ity to the Son of God is the end of the divine purpose, 
or predestination. All the influences exerted upon 
man through the gospel have this object in view. 
We are taken into partnership with the Saviour and as- 
sociated with him that we may be made like him in 
every respect. We are to be associated with him in 
obedience to the Father's will in our devotion to the 
good of humanity, in our consecration, self-denial and 
self-sacrifice, in our whole life, conduct, spirit, temper 
and moral dispositions ; in our meekness, humility and 
benevolence; in our patience, long suffering and for- 
giveness ; in our death, resurrection and ascension to 
heaven ; in glory, honor and life eternal beyond the 
grave. What an honor to be a Christian ! What a 
boundless prospect is before us ! Visions of unspeak- 
able blessedness, of elevated positions, of enlarged use- 



The Eternal Purpose. 203 

fulness, of inconceivable honor, glory and dignity in 
the universe rise before the believing mind; and in 
view of them how insignificant and valueless do this 
world's honors, riches and applause seem. 

I have said that our likeness or conformity to the 
Saviour is to be physical or bodily as well as moral and 
spiritual. This I will establish. Any scheme of re- 
generation and salvation, and any system of theology 
that does not include the believer's body in redemption 
through Christ is defective and not in harmony with 
the teaching of the New Testament. The Christian's 
body is to be presented to God a living sacrifice, holy 
and acceptable ; it is for the Lord ; it is the temple of 
the Holy Spirit ; it is to be delivered from the power of 
death and glorified with the Redeemer in the heavens. 
When he is manifested we shall be like him, the apostle 
says. The word * ' like " in this passage does not refer 
to our spirit or character, but to the body. It is a 
physical or bodily likeness that is promised in the 
resurrection at the glorious appearing of our great God 
and Saviour Jesus Christ. 

I quote from the third chapter of the epistle to the 
Philippians : "Our citizenship is in heaven, from 
whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus 
Christ, who will change the body of our humiliation that 
it may be conformed to the body of his glory accord- 
ing to the working with which he is able also to subject 
all things to himself." This is the grace that is to be 
brought to us at the revelation of Jesus Christ. This 
is the salvation ready to be revealed at the last time. 
What a blessing is death, which will forever free us 
from this weak, decaying mortal and corruptible body, 
and give to the redeemed spirit freedom and enlarge- 



204 Sermons. 

ment i What a hope is the resurrection ! What a 
wonderful transformation is this body to undergo ! It 
is to be changed from mortality to immortality ; from 
corruption to incorruption ; from dishonor to glory; 
from weakness to immortal strength ; from deformity 
to perfect beauty. And thus, having been accounted 
worthy to attain to that world and the resurrection 
from the dead, the victory over death having been 
given to us by the strong Son of God, death as the last 
enemy having been destroyed, and we triumphant 
over the grave, and glorified with Christ and made like 
and equal to the angels, the vast and boundless uni- 
verse will be before us and open to our study, inspec- 
tion and exploration ; through divine grace and power 
having been perfected in both soul and body, we will 
enter upon a career of service, activity and* usefulness 
to our fellow creatures, which, will have no termina- 
tion. We shall have a kingdom, wear a crown, reign 
with Christ, sit on the throne with him, and be forever 
with the- pure and good. The sorrows and griefs of 
earth will be lost in the joys and bliss of heaven. 
What a. glorious hope ! Rejoice in it ; rest upon it. 

This resurrection of which I have spoken is the 
peculiar privilege and hope of the righteous. The 
wicked will have no share or part in it. It is called 
the resurrection of the just, the "first resurrection," 
the resurrection out of or from among the dead. They 
who attain to it must be accounted worthy of it. By 
patient continuance in well doing you must seek for 
glory, honor and immortality. Men seek wealth, 
riches, worldly fame, human applause, office, social 
standing, and a thousand things do they seek with 
eagerness and persistence ; but you and I, if we would 



The Eternal Purpose. 205 

be saved, and have the divine Person realized in us 
must seek the things that are above, where Christ is. 
We must seek to be accounted worthy to obtain that 
world and the resurrection from the dead. 

In bringing my discourse to a close I now remark 
that, in order that this great and beneficent purpose 
may be accomplished in us, there must be a union of 
two agencies, the human and the divine. Accom- 
plished it never will be without an effort on your part. 
You must have faith ; you must believe the glad tid- 
ings ; you must obey from the heart the truth ; you 
must come into the union, fellowship and sympathy 
with Christ, into similarity of feeling with him ; you 
must be associated with him in obedience, in condescen- 
sion, in love, in patience, in humility, in meekness 
and gentleness, in service and in suffering, and in 
death ; then you will be associated with him also in the 
resurrection and ascension into the heavens, and in the 
eternal weight of glory beyond. As men seek for gold 
and silver, the precious gems and ores of earth, office 
and distinction in society, you must seek the pearl of 
great price, the true riches, the everlasting inheritance. 
You must be consecrated in every part of your being 
and life. Count no sacrifice too great to make for 
Christ and his cause. 

Prom the divine standpoint on the part of God, the 
agency exerted for the accomplishment of this gracious 
purpose is threefold : (1) supernatural, (2) natural, 
(3) miraculous. The whole system of gospel truth and 
grace, in its inception, development and consumma- 
tion, is supernatural. The truth which enlightens and 
sanctifies ; the spirit given who comforts, strengthens, 
helps our infirmities, and transforms the soul into the 



2o6 Sermons. 

image of Christ ; the ordinance through which grace 
and power are imparted. These influences are divine, 
heavenly and supernatural in their origin. Again, na- 
ture helps to educate man for heaven and fit him for 
the skies. The flowers, green grass and trees ; the 
running brooks, the rivers, the great sea, the mighty 
ocean, the valleys, hills, dales and mountains,— all 
these, looked at by the believing mind, and studied by 
the believing heart, elevate the mind, cultivate the 
affections and lift up the soul in admiring gratitude and 
thanksgiving to the great Maker and Preserver of all. 
Finally, in the resurrection there will be a putting forth 
of miraculous power. The hour is coming in which all 
that are in the graves will hear his voice and will come 
forth, they who did good unto the resurrection of life, 
and they who did evil unto the resurrrection of con- 
demnation. The Son of God will speak, and the sleep- 
ing millions of the dead will rise from the abode 
of the tomb. Christ will transform the body of our 
humiliation that it may be conformed to the body 
of his glory according to that working efficiency, energy 
and mighty power by which he is able to subdue all 
things to himself. Who can withstand the divine 
power ? 

The Sadducees said there is no resurrection, neither 
angel nor spirit, and they came to the Saviour with an 
objection to the resurrection which they though un- 
answerable. He replied: "You do err, not knowing 
the scriptures nor the power of God." Look at the 
number and varieties of bodies God has made ; the earth, 
moon, sun and stars of heaven, the bodies of men and 
animals, fishes and birds. He who made all these can 
give to his children a new, better and more enduring 



The Eternal Purpose. 207 

body than this. He has promised it, and his power 
can verify his promise. 

Let us, with Abraham of old, be fully persuaded that 
what our God has promised he is able also to perform. 
Is anything too hard for the great and mighty Jeho- 
vah? . Can not He who made all things visible, and in- 
visible, in the heavens and on the earth, put in execu- 
tion his own promises. Waver not at his promise 
through unbelief; be strong in faith. 

This further in conclusion : I call you every one to 
Christ, the great and glorious Redeemer. Give him 
thy heart, thy life, thy wealth, thy all, in most fervent 
devotion and faithful service. He is worthy by reason 
of what he has done for thee ; worthy by reason of 
what he is in the peerless dignity, glory and perfection 
of his character. He will save you, use you in his ser- 
vice and for his own glory, and give you a kingdom, a 
throne, a crown and a position of exalted honor, dig- 
nity and usefulness in the world to come. 



THE SERVICE OF LOVE. 

He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he 
it is that loveth me : and he that loveth me shall be loved of 
my Father, and I will love him, and manifest myself to him. 
Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, L,ord, how is it that thou 
wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world ? 
Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will 
keep my words ; and my Father will love him, and we will 
come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that 
loveth me not keepeth not my sayings : and the word which 
ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me. (John 
xiv. 21-24. 

These words were spoken by our Lord and Saviour 
to his disciples on the evening of his betrayal, and in 
that large upper room in which he ate with them the 
last paschal supper, and instituted the Lord's supper 
in commemoration of his death. They were spoken 
just before leaving that room to go forth with the dis- 
ciples to the garden of Gethsemane. 

They form part of Christ's consolatory discourse 
uttered on that evening, which discourse John alone of 
all the evangelists has recorded. His object was to 
comfort his disciples in view of his own departure. He 
speaks to them tenderly, affectionately, and in the most 
comforting and impressive manner. Of himself he 
says : "I came out from God ; I came forth from the 
Father, and have come unto the world ; the Father 
loves me, and has given all things into my hand. I 
leave the world and go to the Father ; I am going to 

God ; to him who sent me, and in obedience to whose 

208 



The Service of Love. 209 

will I came." Of these things he spoke with wonder- 
ful calmness, and with perfect assurance and sincerity 
of speech. He comforts his disciples with a statement 
as to the object of his departure, and with a promise of 
his personal return. "Let not your heart be troubled ; 
believe on God, and believe on .me ; in my Father's 
house are many mansions." In the hope of Christ's 
personal return to this world, coupled with the 
design for which he is coming, his disciples and God's 
children have always found consolation. Again, com- 
fort is given to the disciples by the promise of the 
Spirit to supply the place of his presence. " If ye love 
me, keep my commandments ; and I will ask the Father 
and he will give you another Comforter, that he may be 
with you forever." This promise he repeats several 
times, and states distinctly what the Spirit, when given, 
would do for them, and on their behalf. The Father 
sent the Son ; the Son sent the apostles ; the Father 
and Son are united in the sending of the Spirit. In 
one place Jesus says : ' ' The Father will send him in 
my name." In another : "I will send him to you." 

As you know, Christ Jesus, the great teacher who 
came into the world to die, thus resolves all true reli- 
gion into obedience to one great commandment, law or 
principle, viz., Love. When the Jewish lawyer came 
to him with a question, which, he hoped, might prove 
to be a puzzling one, i. e. , one, the answering of which 
might embarrass and throw him into perplexity, Jesus, 
at once, and without a moment's hesitation, responded, 
saying : ' ' Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all 
thy heart," etc. "He hath showed thee, O man, 
what is good ; and what doth the Lord require of thee 
but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly 



210 Sermons. 

with thy God ? " The one great, all embracing condi- 
tion, or in other terms, the root and branches of relig- 
ious life, is love — love to God, the source of infinite good- 
ness, and love to our neighbor, who, with us, was made 
in the image of God. At the basis of all healthy religious 
life, in whatever form expressed, there exists a single 
principle. That principle is love, " the love of God," 
or of Christ. This is that out of which everything 
good and well pleasing to God grows. As to import- 
ance, nothing else is to be placed above, or even on a 
level with love. It is greater than faith, greater than 
hope, more influential for good than the power to work 
miracles. It will endure forever. " Love is the golden 
chain that binds the happy heart above, and he 's an 
heir of heaven that finds his bosom aglow with love." 
In the command to love God supremely with the 
whole heart Christ does not lay upon us an arbitrary 
law. "He sets before us those qualities which are 
worthy of our highest love." 

The manifestation of love to Christ is obedience. 
The proof, or evidence, that we love him is given in 
submission. " If you love me, keep my command- 
ments. He that hath my commandments and keepeth 
them, he it is that loveth me. If a man love me he 
will keep my words." In this we know that we know 
him, if we keep his commandments. Obedience is 
thus made the test of love. If obedience be wanting, 
love is wanting ; for every soul that truly loves Christ 
will surely obey him. 

We may not be as distinctly conscious of the emo- 
tion of love to our Saviour as we would like to be ; our 
affections may not be as fervent ; our hearts may not 
glow with as intense a flame of love as we might wish 



The Service of Love. 211 

they did; but if our obedience to the Lord Jesus be 
sincere, steadfast, persevering, determined, we thereby 
have the scriptural evidence that we truly love him. 
The command of the Father, given under circum- 
stances of deep interest and peculiar solemnity is, 
" Obey his voice, hear him, do whatever he bids you," 
as if the whole of our duty were summed up in that 
obedience which springs from personal affection for 
Christ. And the obedience necessary and required, is 
twofold : external and internal. External in refraining 
from doing what he prohibits, and in conforming to his 
requirements ; in other words, practicing the morality 
taught by Christ and his apostles, and practicing it out 
of regard to his authority and love to him. But it is 
quite possible to practice the morality of the New Tes- 
tament, and yet be destitute of the spirit of Christ. 
Hence, the second thing involved in obedience to our 
Saviour is imitating his example, conforming to his 
inward life, cultivating, cherishing and coming under 
the practical influence and control of those moral dis- 
positions and affections that were manifested by £hrist. 
In the words of the apostle, ' ' bringing every thought 
into captivity to the obedience of Christ." This is the 
divine predestination, "conformity to the image," 
character and moral dispositions of his Son. One 
writer says: "The example of Christ is living legis- 
lation — law embodied and pictured in a perfect humani- 
ty and life. Not only does it exhibit every virtue, but 
it also enjoins it. In showing what is, it enacts what 
ought to be. When it tells us how to live, it com- 
mands us to live." Let it be our great aim in life, 
our supreme controlling purpose, to which, in a re- 
ligious point of view, we subordinate everything else, 



212 Sermons. 

to obey our glorious King. And to this end let us 
do two things: Study his word that we may know 
what his precepts are, for his will is expressed therein. 
Meditate on his example that we may know what his 
moral temper, dispositions and true inward life are, and 
conform thereto. Now, that you may be able to love 
Christ with a pure heart fervently, and render him that 
obedience which is both the manifestation and evidence 
of genuine love, do these three things: i. Think much 
and frequently of his love to us. (II. Cor. v. 14 ; I. 
John iv. 19). 2. Pray for the continual assistance of 
the Holy Spirit, the first fruit of which is love, accord- 
ing to Gal. v. 22. 3. Look for answers to your 
prayers ; for the assurance that God answers your 
prayers will increase your love to him. (Ps. cxvi. 1). 
Our next thought is the promise given to those who 
love Christ, and the things which are affirmed as 
true of them. Some of these promises are found 
in the text, and others are in other passages of the 
New Testament. Hear the words of Jesus: " He that 
has my commandments and keeps them, he it is that 
loves me ; and he that loves me shall be loved of my 
Father.' ' That is the first promise. The great Father 
will love us who love his Son and believe on his name. 
Again he says : ' ' The Father himself loves you be- 
cause ye have loved me." The next promise is in 
these words: " I will love him" — the personal love 
and affection of the Lord Jesus. 

Oh, to be loved by one so pure, gentle, so kind, so 
worthy, so great-hearted, so mighty, so exalted, so able 
to verify every promise he has given ! What a privilege ! 
What an honor ! The true wife studies to be worthy 
of the confidence, affection and love of her husband ; 



The Service of Love. 213 

she values his love more than gold and silver, more 
than worldly honor and fame, and her aim is to be well 
pleasing to him. The church is called the bride, the 
Lamb's wife ; as such every member should strive to be 
worthy of his affection, as saith the apostle: "We 
make it our aim, that whether at home, or absent, we 
may be well pleasing to him." The same promise is 
substantially repeated in this text with a little variation 
and addition: "If any one loves me he will keep my 
word, and my Father wi!l love him, and we will come 
to him and make our abode with him." What a 
promise ! How great and rich in meaning ! Both the 
Father and the Son come to the loving, trusting 
obedient heart (the heart made pure by faith and 
cleansed by obedience) ; into this heart both the Father 
and the Son come, to illuminate it with their pres- 
ence, to strengthen it in holy confidence, to con- 
firm it in all good, and fill it with heavenly joy and 
peace. And they come, not to depart, not go away 
again, but to stay, and stay forever. ' ' We will come 
to him and make our abode with him." As, after the 
tabernacle was prepared and set up in the wilderness, 
and everything put in its place according to the divine 
precepts, the cloud of glory came and remained ; and 
as the Shekinah, the visible symbol of God's presence, 
was continually seen in the Holy of holies ; so, to the 
converted, loving purified heart, the Father and Son 
manifest themselves. This promise is fulfilled in the 
gift of the divine Spirit, the Comforter sent by the 
Father and the Son. (I. John iii. 24, and iv. 13. Also 
Eph. ii. 21, 22). The last promise of Christ given in 
this passage is this: " I will manifest myself to him." 
I will make myself known, reveal, disclose myself, to 



214 Sermons. 

the loving heart. This may refer, first of all, to the 
personal, visible manifestations which our Lord gave 
of himself, after his resurrection, to the disciples and 
apostles, to Saul of Tarsus near Damascus, and to 
John on the isle of Patmos. To them he did mani- 
fest himself repeatedly to assure them of his actual 
resurrection ; but these post-resurrection appearances, 
or manifestations, do not exhaust the meaning and sig- 
nificance of the Saviour's promise. It is a promise 
made to every one who loves him and keeps his com- 
mandments. The promise is not confined or limited 
to a few, to those who at that time heard his words. 
It is coextensive with love and obedience to Christ. 
Again, I understand it to be a spiritual manifesta- 
tion that is here promised, a disclosure of the Son of 
God, not to the eye, nor to the ear, nor to the touch ; 
but to the human spirit, the heart itself in which it 
dwells. 

And further, this promised manifestation on the 
Lord is gradual and progressive. As the heart 
itself comes to be more and more like Christ in its 
purity, goodness, transparent moral excellence and 
affection, he discloses himself more and more fully to 
it. In our hours of holy thought, when the spirit 
turns away from everything earthly, looks only to him, 
longs for him, clings to him, prays to be like him, yearns 
for similarity of feeling with him, and regards him as 
the Supreme Good, in such hours, Jesus comes 
very near, manifests himself to the heart, and we see 
him more distinctly than ever before, and have clearer 
and more vivid conceptions of his loveliness, purity, 
worthiness and preciousness than ever before ! He 
rfives us a glimpse now and, then, to comfort and cheer 



The Service of Love. 215 

us on our journey. This is our joyful experience, and 
I utter what every loving heart knows to be true. 
George Macdonald says : * * The longer I live, the 
more I am convinced that it is the business of life to 
understand the Lord Jesus Christ." Christ ! Who can 
understand him ? Who can know him, and perceive 
with clearness of mental vision the purpose of his 
mission ? Only they who love him ; who come into 
similarity of feeling with him ; who try to see with his 
eyes, to hear with his ears ; to think with his thoughts, 
to speak with his words ; to be like him, they under- 
stand him and know him ; for he manifests himself to 
them. Thus, the union between the soul and the Christ 
is perfected more and more ; and when we pass through 
the portal of death into the happy land beyond, where 
we shall see as we are seen, and know as we are known, 
he will not be a stranger to us. When he speaks to us 
we shall know his voice, and personal welcome to the 
heavenly land will consummate our bliss. This welcome 
awaits all who love him and keep his commandments. 



A TRIBUTE OF LOVE. 

She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand 
to anoint my body to the burying. (Mark xiv. 8). 

The woman represented by the pronoun "she " in 
this sentence is Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus 
whom Jesus raised from the dead. We learn this from 
John xi. 2 ; also xii. 3. There are six women men- 
tioned in the New Testament, all of whom bear the 
name of Mary. (1) The most distinguished of the six is 
Mary, the virgin mother of our Lord, whom all gen- 
erations unite in calling happy, and who was signally 
honored of God in being chosen to be the mother of 
the world's Redeemer. (2) Mary, the wife of Clopas, 
and sister to Mary the Virgin, both of whom were 
standing by the cross of Jesus as he hung thereon. 
(3) Mary, sister of Barnabas, and mother of Mark, who 
was surnamed John, the evangelist, and writer of this 
second gospel. (4) Mary Magdalene, a native of Mag- 
dala in Galilee, out of whom Jesus cast seven demons, 
who followed him from Galilee, and ministered to him 
of her substance ; who was at the cross on Friday 
afternoon, and first at the sepulcher on the first day of 
the week, and who announced to Peter and John that 
her Lord was not in the sepulcher. (5) Mary, a devout 
Christian woman at Rome, who bestowed much labor 
upon the apostle Paul when in that city. (6) Mary, 
the sister of Martha and Lazarus, spoken of in the 

text, who "wrought a good work on the Saviour/' 

216 



A Tribute of Love, 217 

"who did what she could, and beforehand anointed 
the Saviour's body for the preparation for burial. " 

At his baptism, or immediately thereafter, our 
Lord was anointed with the Holy Spirit, and with 
power, preparatory to his entrance on his public min- 
istry, and to the work given him to do. He was both 
anointed and sealed by the Father, and endowed with 
power, and qualified to demonstrate the truthfulness of 
his claims to be the Messiah. 

During his personal ministry, he was twice anoint- 
ed with ointment, and each time by a woman. The 
record of the first is given in the seventh chapter 
of Luke. The place is not known ; the name of the 
city in which the anointing occurred is not stated ; but 
the story is one of the most touching in the entire nar- 
rative of his life. A certain Pharisee asked Jesus to 
eat with him. He accepted the invitation ; and enter- 
ing into the house of the Pharisee, he reclined at table. 
"And, behold, a woman who was a sinner in the city, 
learning that Jesus was reclining at table in the house 
of the Pharisee, brought an alabaster box of ointment ; 
and standing behind at his feet weeping, began to wet 
his feet with tears, and wipe them with the hairs of 
her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with 
the ointment. He said to his host in substance : 
"Seest thou this woman? She has in the spirit of 
penitence and love performed the kind offices of hospi- 
tality which you have neglected. Although a most 
notorious sinner, her many sins are forgiven, for she 
loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same 
loves little." And to the woman he said : "Thy faith 
hath saved thee ; go in peace. " Ah ! the man who could 
speak such words of peace and tenderness ought to be 



218 Sermons. 

dear to the world's heart forever ! Such a Saviour we 
all need. Let us trust in him. 

The weeks and months pass away. Our Lord con- 
tinues his active and beneficent ministry. The days 
are being completed that he should be received up ; he 
steadfastly sets his face to go to Jerusalem. He is on 
his way thither. * ' And six days before the passover 
he comes to Bethany, where Lazarus was, who had 
been dead, whom Jesus raised from the dead." He was 
received into the house of Simon the leper. He was 
hospitably entertained ; his wants were ministered to ; 
they made him a supper. Martha was there, and 
served ; and Lazarus was one of those who reclined at 
table with him. The apostles are present, and, most 
probably, those women who had been healed of evil 
spirits and infirmities, who followed him out of Galilee, 
ministered to him. Quite a large company is pres- 
ent. Martha shows her affection by waiting on him, 
by serving as he and others were reclining at the table. 
Mary shows her gratitude and love in a different way. 
Doubtless, for many months she had been saving 
money as she was able. She was not a rich woman ; 
she was in moderate circumstances ; but had saved 
forty-five dollars, and the entire sum she expended for 
one pound of ointment of pure spikenard. It was very 
precious ointment ; very costly, the very best she 
could obtain. I wish, we all felt as Mary did, that our 
best is too poor for our blessed Lord. The time is 
come for her to give expression to her love. As Jesus 
was reclining at table, Mary comes, having an alabaster 
box of ointment of pure spikenard, very precious ; and 
she broke the box, and poured it on his head. ''She 
anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her 



A Tribute of Love. 219 

hair ; and the house was filled with the odor of the 
ointment." "Judas Iscariot, who was about to betray 
him, seeing it, was displeased, saying, To what pur- 
pose was this waste?" "Jesus said, Let her alone ; 
why do ye trouble her ? She wrought a good work on 
me. For the poor you have always with you." Such 
is the simple narrative. Let us now inquire, what is 
the significance of Mary's act in anointing the Sav- 
iour's person ? And can we to-day, in any sense, 
imitate her conduct? Her deed is an expression of 
gratitude to Jesus for the restoration of her brother 
to life. Lazarus, her only brother, to whom she was 
tenderly attached, had died ; he had been dead four 
days. Jesus rescued him from the dominion of death, 
and restored him to his sisters. For a brother given 
back from death, she was grateful ; but gratitude, if it 
be genuine, must have expression. Hers was genu- 
ine ; and hence, out of her limited fortune, she secures 
a pound of ointment of pure spikenard, and there- 
with anoints his sacred person. Mary's act is an ex- 
pression of her love and affection for Jesus as a wise 
teacher, and a faithful personal friend and Saviour. 
Mary loved Jesus, because of his worthiness ; because 
of his wisdom as a teacher ; because of the purity, ex- 
cellence and gentleness of his spirit ; and she had fre- 
quent opportunities of knowing and hearing him. The 
first time Mary is mentioned in the gospel history, it is 
said of her, " She sat at the feet of Jesus, and heard 
his word." For instruction given, for kindness shown, 
for the restoration to life of her brother, Mary was 
grateful, and her heart filled with affection to Christ. 
Love gives ; love makes sacrifices ; love pours itself out 
on the beloved object in acts of kindness ; hence Mary, 



220 Sermons. 

through the overflowing of her affection for Christ, 
buys the most costly ointment she can get, and anoints 
him therewith. Jesus knew what it meant ; he under- 
stood the motive that prompted the deed, and there- 
fore commended her, and rebuked those who found 
fault with her. There are other women mentioned in 
the New Testament, of whom the same is true, who 
showed their gratitude and affection for the Christ, 
though in a different way ; three of them are Galilean 
women, named Mary, called the Magdalene, and Joanna, 
the wife of Chuza, and Susanna, and many others not 
named. Jesus had healed them of evil spirits and in- 
firmities ; he had saved them ; he had been kind to 
them ; he had inspired them with the hope of a better 
life ; and they showed their gratitude and love, by 
leaving their homes and following him, by ministering 
to his and his disciples' wants of their substance; and 
when he was on the cross, they stood near, ready to 
do anything they could for him ; and as Joseph and 
Nicodemus bore him from the cross to the sepulcher, 
they followed after, and viewed the sepulcher, and how 
his body was laid. Going from the tomb into the city, 
they bought spices and ointments, that after the Sab- 
bath was past they might come and anoint his body. 
I come to the concluding and more practical part of 
this subject. Christ has placed us under obligations to 
be grateful to him, and to love him with a pure heart 
fervently. He has done even more for us than, at the 
time mentioned in the text, he had done for Mary. 
He taught her, and restored her brother to life; but 
what has he done for us? He has died for us, — died 
for our sins. He left heaven with its supreme joy ; his 
Father's house of light, his glory-circled throne, for 



A Tribute of Love. 221 

earthly night, for sorrow, for suffering, for humiliation 
and death. He bought us ; he rescued us from sin and 
death ; he redeemed us, and to him we owe our salva- 
tion and hope of eternal life. With your present 
knowledge of Christ, if he were on earth as he was 
once, going about doing good, performing beneficent 
deeds, and speaking kind words to all, every man, wo- 
man and child would wish to do something for him ; to 
give something to him, to show kindness toward him ; 
to manifest your gratitude and affection in some way 
or other. But Jesus is not here ; he has entered long 
since on his resurrection life and glory within the 
veil. You can not follow him by going from place to 
place ; you can not receive him into your house as Martha 
did; and give him food, shelter and lodging; you can 
not anoint him, or administer to him personally of 
your substance ; he is far beyond the need of these 
temporal things ; yet every man, woman and child 
may do to-day what Christ will regard as done to him- 
self, and secure thereby as rich a reward as did Mary 
who anointed him. You can not follow him, as did 
the Galilean women, but you can follow him by obey- 
ing his will and teaching ; by imbibing his spirit, by 
imitating his acts of kindness, gentleness and love. 
You need not save money to buy precious ointment 
with which to anoint him, but you can save money 
and give it to promote the great objects of Christian 
benevolence, and thereby win the approbation of 
Christ. That boy, girl, man or woman who lays by 
money, and gives it to support the gospel at home, or 
to send teachers and missionaries to heathen lands, 
does what Jesus is just as well pleased with as he was 
with Mary's act in anointing him. He who teaches 



222 Sermons. 

the ignorant, ministers lovingly to the sick, imparts 
strength to the weak, makes his life a blessing and 
benediction to others, who, because .he loves Christ, 
consecrates himself to the great work of doing good to 
his fellow-men, it is as though Jesus himself were here, • 
and he was doing all these things to him personally. 

I care not to what denomination a man may belong ; 
I care not what party shibboleths he may be able to 
pronounce ; I care not what creed he subscribes to ; I 
care not how correct his doctrinal belief may be ; if he 
does not consecrate himself to Christ in efforts to pro- 
mote his cause among men, to extend his kingdom, to 
support and spread his gospel at home and abroad, to 
carry forward the great ends for which he came and 
died, his profession is not worth a straw ; nor is it to be 
valued at the price of a single mill, as it respects the 
great matter of eternal life. This, indeed, is that which 
will determine our destiny. * ■ I was hungry, and ye 
gave me food ; I was athirst, and ye gave me drink, " etc. 
From this subject let us try to learn what a true Chris- 
tian life is. It is not to subscribe to a certain creed, 
not to assent to certain doctrinal beliefs, not to indulge 
in metaphysical speculation about the trinity, or the 
decrees, or human depravity ; but to come directly to 
him, to believe on him, and to do his will. And, second- 
ly, let us learn that what we do to promote Christ's 
cause in the world, and to benefit our fellow-men, we 
do to Christ, and he will reward it as such. 



ENOCH'S WALK AND TRANSLATION. 

And Enoch walked with God : and he was not ; for God 
took him. (Gen. v. 24). 

In this chapter of Genesis, "and he died" is re- 
peated eight times. Of Adam, Seth, Enos, Cainan, 
Mahalaleel, Jared, the father of Enoch, Methusaleh, 
his son, and Lamech, it is said, after giving the great 
age to which each one attained, "And he died." 
Death is the common lot, or inheritance of mankind. 
" Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." In 
Adam all die. " As through one man sin entered 
into the world." Through this constant refrain, " and 
he died," the reading of this chapter is said to 
have awakened men to repentance. I sincerely wish 
that the repetition of the three words might arrest at- 
tention, produce conviction in the heart of every one 
here to-night, lead to unfeigned repentance, and to the 
resolution that we will henceforth serve our God more 
faithfully, in all holy deportment and newness of life. 
However long the life God may grant a man, he must 
die. The end will come. Of every one, sooner or 
later, it may be said, " He is dead ; he is gone the way 
of all the earth ; he sleeps his last sleep, and him the 
all-beholding sun shall see no more." Death is the 
great leveler ; and in view of it, how vain and delusive 
are all those hopes and expectations that terminate on 
earthly objects ! Of the men making up the ten gen- 
erations from Adam to Noah, seven of them lived to be 
over nine hundred years of age, yet of each of them it is 



224 Sermons. 

said, "And he died." Enoch's case, however, is ex- 
ceptional. "He lived as many years as the year has 
days." Of the ten antediluvian patriarchs, his life was 
by far the shortest ; but of him it is not written, ' 'And 
he died." The dominion of the laws of nature in his case 
were suspended. He was saved from subjection to the 
power of death. To him, in the literal sense, there 
was no death. Without tasting death, after being 
guided by the divine eounsel, he was taken to glory, to 
everlasting life with God in the heavenly world. The 
history concerning him is very brief, but most credit- 
able. The principal things affirmed of him are four, 
(i) He walked with God. (2) He was a true prophet, 
a prophet of Jehovah, anointed with the Divine Spirit, 
an instructor and teacher of his fellow-men in right- 
eousness. (3) During his life he had the testimony 
that he pleased God ; the assurance that he was accept- 
ed of the Most High. (4) He was not (z. e. f he was 
not found among the living) ; he suddenly disappeared ; 
he was removed from the sight and presence of his 
fellow- men ; he was not, for God took him— i. e., 
translated him, that he should not see death, as it is 
said by the author of the epistle to the Hebrews. 
After the the birth of Methusaleh, Enoch walked with 
God three hundred years, and was then taken directly 
to the spiritual world. The phrase, "walked with 
God," is elsewhere only used of Noah, of whom it is 
said: "Noah was a just man, and perfect in his genera- 
tions ; and Noah walked with God." 

What does walking with God imply? A knowl- 
edge of the divine will and character. To Enoch God 
must have revealed himself, made known his will, dis- 
closed his purposes ; for no man can walk with a God of 



Enoch's Walk and Translation. 225 

of whom he is ignorant. This is further evident, from the 
fact that Enoch was a prophet, a teacher of divine truth ; 
he foresaw the day of judgment, foretold it, and the 
coming of the Lord on that day, with his holy angels, 
to execute judgment upon all. As to the way or 
method in which the divine will, character and pur- 
poses were manifested to him, we are not informed ; 
but I suppose it was by the Spirit of God, who knows 
and searches all things, yea, even the deep things of 
God, and who was given to Enoch as a spirit of wis- 
dom and of revelation in the knowledge of God, and 
of his beneficent designs toward the children of 
men. 

Further, walking with God implies, on Enoch's 
part, reconciliation with God. He was reconciled 
to God, with whom he walked. He came into con- 
cord, agreement, harmony with the divine will, 
government and authority. He accepted the will 
of God as the guide of his life, and to that will he 
was conformed. Joseph Cook has a phrase, which he 
is fond of using, " similarity of feeling with God." 
Enoch cultivated this feeling, as we all should ; he not 
only submitted to the divine government, and acknowl- 
edged the divine authority, but he cheerfully acquiesced 
in the providences of God, and looked upon all his dis- 
pensations as right. This is a high attainment,— the 
highest of all attainments, no doubt, the sanctifica- 
tion of the will, saying: "Not my will, but thine be 
done." Hence, walking with God, implied on the part 
of Enoch, a life of communion with God, of union, 
fellowship and association with him. In Lange's Com- 
mentary on Genesis, after the word walked there is 
inserted in brackets, as expressing the meaning of the 



226 Sermons. 

word, in the judgment of the translator, these words : 
f * lived in communion with God." It is without doubt 
true that he did. When a man renounces himself, accepts 
the divine will as his guide and standard of right, yields 
himself up to God, dedicates himself to the supreme 
and eternal One in a righteous, holy, and godly life, 
and settles down in the conviction that it is best for 
him, both for time and eternity, to be directed, con- 
trolled, guided, governed and sanctified by Him who 
is all-wise and beneficent, he is not only converted ; the 
process of regeneration, and the renewal of his moral 
nature is not only begun ; he not only commences to 
live on a higher plane, but he passes out of self into 
God, — into union, fellowship, and association with 
him, and is henceforth inspired, illuminated, strength- 
ened with a strength above his own, and filled with the 
light of life. The spiritual world comes to be seen 
and looked at as the only real world ; spiritual ends 
as the only ends worth living for ; God becomes a great 
and ever present reality ; and all things, the works of 
nature, creation, providence and redemption, are con- 
sidered in their relation to him, as existing in him, for 
him, and because of his will, as reflecting his image, 
manifesting his power, revealing his attributes, and 
showing forth the greatness of his goodness and 
mercy. This was Enoch's experience, and is the expe- 
rience of every man who, like Enoch, lives in com- 
munion with God, and to such a man life is an 
infinite blessing. 

Now, the effects on Enoch, personally, of "his walking 
with God. (i) Growth into the image of God ; likeness 
to his moral character ; conformity to the will of Him 
in whose image man was first made. Enoch's attain- 



Enoch's Walk and Translation. 227 

ments in virtue, piety and godliness must have been 
very great ; for he walked with God three hundred 
years, and his translation was the crown and seal of 
the whole, By the fall, and the introduction of sin 
into the world, the image of God was marred, effaced, 
partially at least, from the moral nature of man, and it 
is the great work of redemption to restore that image. 
Jesus the Christ is to us the image of the invisible God, 
and to his image believers to-day are to be conformed. 
Our sanctifi cation is perfected in proportion as we bear 
Christ's image, and reflect it to the world. In purify- 
ing metals, it is said, the process is completed when 
the blower can see fully reflected his own countenance, 
every feature and lineament thereof, in the melted 
metal, which serves as a mirror ; and so it is the 
purpose of our Lord's mission, the effect of the influ- 
ence of his word, spirit and grace, to bring out in our 
souls his own heavenly image, and make us to be like 
himself. (2) A second effect of Enoch's living in com- 
munion with God was this: he had the testimony 
that he pleased God. The word testimony here means 
witness, proof, evidence. Enoch was not in doubt as to 
his acceptance with God ; he was not in a state of un- 
certainty as to what his future destiny was to be. This 
testimony was given to him, I suppose, by the revelations 
with which God favored him, by the anointing of the 
Spirit which he received and by which he was enabled to 
prophesy. This testimony was to him an inward con- 
sciousness, a blessed, holy experience. He knew that 
God with whom he walked, knew him as his Friend ; as 
his Father ; as his Guide and Sanctifler. We may have 
this testimony, — the testimony that we please God; 
have it in fuller measure, and distincter consciousness 



228 Sermons. 

than Enoch, for our privileges are greater, and our 
opportunities wider. "The Spirit bears witness with 
our spirits that we are the children of God." 

Enoch's translation : "And Enoch walked with 
God ; and he was not, for God took him. " The best 
commentary on this verse is the eleventh chapter of 
Hebrews: "By faith Enoch was translated, that he 
should not see death," etc. The end has come; the 
three hundred years of holy living and communion 
with God are past ; he has honored God, obeyed him, 
served him, walked before, as well as with him, in 
peace and equity, in righteousness, and the practice of 
all good works ; he has become sanctified, and ripe 
for the transformation ; with eyes fixed on God he has 
gazed into the heavenly world for three centuries ; he 
has labored for the good of his fellow-men ; he has 
preached the word to his disobedient, sinful and sin- 
ning contemporaries ; he has foretold the judgment of 
God in the approaching flood ; he has sought to waken 
men to repentance ; he has foretold the coming of the 
Lord to execute judgment on all ; he had the testimony 
that he pleased God ; and one day he disappears 
suddenly. "He was not." He was not found among 
the living ; he had not been sick ; nobody saw him 
die ; no coffin was made for him ; no grave was dug to 
receive his remains ; no pall-bearers carried him forth to 
the place of interment. People said, " Where is Enoch ? 
He has disappeared from our midst ; what has become of 
him ? Whither has he gone ? He did n't die ; he was 
not buried; he is not here; where is he?" We can 
easily imagine the wonderment and astonishment of 
the people at his disappearance, and the question that 
each asked his neighbor about him. And now, to real- 



Enoch's Walk and Translation. 229 

ize the force of Enoch's translation as an argument 
for man's immortality and future state of being, you 
must imagine yourself to have been a contemporary of 
his, a neighbor, an acquaintance, and to have sur- 
vived him, and to have heard the questions that were 
asked concerning him and his disappearance, and the 
speculations that were indulged in about it. " He 
has gone," men said, "he is among us no longer. 
Where is he ? Who took him ? What has become of 
him ? " 

There have been three translations to heaven in a 
bodily form. Of these three, Enoch's was the first. 
Enoch during the patriarchal age ; Elijah under the 
law ; and Jesus our Lord under the gospel. What 
an argument for immortality ! Man is immortal, and 
death is but a change of state. To the righteous, 
dying is but a change for the better, and burial but 
the planting of a seed from which there shall spring a 
new life. 

This question may be asked: "What became of 
Enoch's body ? " The true answer, no doubt, is, it 
was changed. It underwent such a change as the 
bodies of the saints who shall be living when Christ 
comes will undergo. It was changed from mortality to 
immortality. 

From this subject let us learn these two lessons. 
First, a righteous life pleases God. God takes pleasure, 
experiences delight in his people, in those who walk 
with him in peace, in equity, in truth and right- 
eousness, in the practice of all good works. 

Such a life he will reward with the gift of, ever- 
lasting life. "The wages of sin is death, but the 
gift of God is eternal life." 



230 Sermons. 

Great gift! Let us thankfully receive it, and be- 
lieve in him in order to have everlasting life. In obedi- 
ence to the exhortation of the apostle, let us lay 
hold on the eternal into which we are called by the 
gospel. 



THE FAITH OF ABRAHAM. 

Now the Lord said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy 
country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, 
unto a land that I will show thee : and I will make of thee 
a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name 
great ; and thou shalt be a blessing : And I will bless them 
that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee 
shall all families of the earth be blessed. So Abram de- 
parted, as the Lord had spoken unto him; and Lot went 
with him : and Abram was seventy and five years old when 
he departed out of Haran. ( Genesis xii. 1-4). 

I once heard a very intelligent man, well educated, 
and the president of a college, say that, next to the 
reading and study of the Holy Scriptures, he had de- 
rived more profit, more moral and spiritual quickening, 
from reading the biography of John Wesley than from 
any other book he had ever read. T state in your 
hearing this testimony, because, in the judgment of 
one who knew whereof he affirmed, it shows the value 
of reading biography — i. e. y the story or narrative of 
the lives of eminent men, wise, great and good ; who, 
by their spirit and deportment, pleased God, won his 
favor and approbation, and were made the instruments 
of good to their fellow-men. Now, a considerable 
portion of the Bible, the volume of Divine Inspiration, 
is biography — a personal history of the lives of dis- 
tinguished men, whose names are inscribed on the roll 
of true and lasting fame, who, though not perfect, 
stood high in the divine favor, and had the testimony 



232 Sermons. 

that they pleased God. Extract from the sacred vol- 
ume what is said of Abraham, Moses, Samuel, David, 
Solomon and Paul, and its dimensions would not only 
be greatly reduced, but its unity and harmony would 
be essentially destroyed ; and it would no longer answer 
the purpose for which it was designed. The object of 
the Bible is not to teach certain doctrines concerning 
either man or God, but to unfold the history of re- 
demption through the Messiah, the Son of the living 
God ; all is subordinate to that. Doctrinal teaching is 
very important ; the doctrine which is according to 
godliness, and is intended to make men godly in their 
spirit and lives, it is imbedded in the lives of Scripture 
characters. It is thus presented to us, not in the ab- 
stract, but in the concrete — in the lives of men chosen 
of God, guided and protected by his overruling hand. 
Hence, the study of sacred biography is not only 
interesting to those who engage heartily in it, but im- 
mensely profitable. It brings an abundant blessing 
to the mind and heart. Again, every young person 
who desires to live a good life, to be useful, to be 
made a blessing to his fellow creatures, to attain life's 
great end, and at last win the home in heaven, should 
set out with the avowed determination to do just one 
thing, viz. , to please God ; and we please him by 
cultivating those traits of character and cherishing 
those dispositions of mind which were exemplified by 
the men whom God chose, honored, loved, and made a 
blessing to the world ; we please him by obeying his 
will, by following him, by conforming to truth, right- 
eousness, purity and goodness ; and to such as please 
him God will give the witness, testimony, assurance, 
that he is pleased with them. This supreme purpose 



The Faith of Abraham, 233 

to please God in all things, to be counted worthy of 
his love and affection, gives simplicity, unity, moral 
grandeur, and a high religious tone to the life, and 
makes it a glorious and most desirable thing to live in 
this world. As one has said, "It is never either too 
early or too late to serve and follow God. " The child of 
tender years may please him ; the patriarch, venerable 
with age and wisdom, may please him. Good charac- 
ter and righteous acts, the fruit thereof, are sure to 
please Him who searches all hearts, and who will 
judge the world in righteousness. 

I speak to you to-night of one of the three most 
prominent characters of sacred history — Abraham, 
the founder of the Jewish nation, the father of the 
faithful, and the friend of God forever. Abraham, 
Moses, and Jesus are the three most distinguished 
men in all Scripture story; Abraham of the patri- 
archal age, Moses of the Jewish, and Jesus of the 
Christian age. In the Bible, viewed as one great 
whole, what do we find? What generalization of its 
contents may we make? The following: The 
Promises, the Law, the Gospel. These, in their full 
development, constitute the entire revelation of God. 
The promises were spoken to Abraham ; the law was 
given through Moses ; and the gospel through the 
Christ. Abram Jehovah "chose, and brought him 
forth out of the Chaldees, and gave him the name of 
Abraham, and found his heart faithful before him, and 
made a covenant with him," and spoke to him prom- 
ises. Abraham was born A. m. 2008, i. e., igg6 b. c. 
He was the twentieth generation from Adam, and was 
a decendant of Noah through Shem, whose posterity 
settled in the country which afterwards became known 



234 Sermons. 

as Asia. In the eleventh chapter of Genesis a brief 
account of his family connections is given by the in- 
spired writer. He is called Abram and Abraham. 
Abram means, in the Hebrew language, father of 
height, i. e., a great father, or father of a nation. In 
the book of Genesis as far as to the seventeenth chap- 
ter he is called Abram ; after that, Abraham. He was 
not renowned either as a conquerer or as a lawgiver ; 
he was not a monarch, nor a poet, nor a philisopher ; 
but he was what is far better — a good man, and the 
friend of God forever. Jehovah spoke to him; ap- 
peared to him, let himself be seen by him, disclosed to 
him his will and purposes; knew him ; i. e. t regarded 
him with favor ; made him an object of attention and 
care ; made choice of him for himself, admitted him to 
near and intimate relationship. Moses, the Jewish law- 
giver; Jehoshaphat, one of the kings of Judah ; David, 
the psalmist of Israel; Isaiah, the great evangelic 
prophet ; Jesus, Paul, and James, all speak of this man 
in terms of the highest respect and esteem. Consider 
his great faith. In this cardinal and important virtue 
he is a bright and illustrious example to all succeeding 
generations. He walked by faith ; under the influence 
of faith he obeyed the divine will ; and his faith, confi- 
dence, abiding trust in Jehovah — in his existence, 
providence, wisdom and controlling power — was to him 
a source of perpetual inspiration, peace and hope. 
He looked beyond the present life to the future, and 
for the city prepared of God — ' ' the city which has the 
foundations, whose builder and maker is God." Of 
him our Lord says : " Your father Abraham rejoiced to 
see my day, and he saw it, and was glad." 

In the fourth chapter of Romans, the apostle 



The Faith of Abraham. 235 

speaks of his faith as the type of that faith by which 
the sinner is justified, saying repeatedly. "His faith 
was reckoned to him for righteousness.". "Against 
hope he believed in hope, that he should become the 
father of many nations, according to that which was 
spoken, So shall thy seed be ;" "and in respect to the 
promise of God he wavered not through unbelief, but 
was strong in faith giving glory to God." His native 
place was Ur of the Chaldees. While living there, in 
the midst of a people given to idolatry, Jehovah ap- 
peared to him and said : ' ' Go forth from thy kindred, 
and from thy father's house, into a land that I will 
show thee." To these commands were given promises 
of personal honor and happiness: "I will bless thee, 
and make thy name great." In Scripture biography, 
what name is more revered or held in higher esteem 
than Abraham's ? A numerous and thriving posterity, 
who to latest ages should recognize him as their 
founder, and glory in their relation to him : "I will 
make of thee a great nation, and thou shalt be a bless- 
ing." The father of a multitude of nations shalt thou 
be. That is literally true. The Jewish nation of to-day, 
numbering from five to seven millions, are the direct 
descendants of Abraham. And other oriental nations, 
especially in Arabia, are descended from him. Great 
is his name in history! Universal benefit accruing to 
the human race from him : "In thee shall all the families 
of the earth be blessed." Now notice his faith, the 
strength of it. He started toward the land of which 
God spoke to him, saying: — "I will show it thee." 
He obeyed the divine command. In Scripture, Abra- 
ham is set forth as the bright pattern of a prompt, 
cheerful, active faith in God. " By faith when called, 



236 Sermons. 

he obeyed to go forth into a place which he should 
afterwards receive for an inheritance." Here is given 
us the best of all definitions of faith — a definition in 
action. Faith has been bewildered much by men who 
meant to make it plain : it has been speculated about, 
and subdivided into this, that, and the other thing: but 
Abraham's conduct furnishes us an excellent definition. 
Such a degree of confidence in God and hfs word 
spoken as leads to obedience thereto. Faith is trust, 
confidence in Jehovah and his Messiah, exhibiting 
itself in action, in submission, in self-devotion to God 
and his service. There are other instances in the Pa- 
triarch's life that manifest the strength, sincerity and 
genuineness of his faith. He had no child, yet it was 
said to him : "Unto thy seed I will give this land." 
The years were passing away ; probably, through hope 
deferred, his faith began to fail, and he needed a new 
revelation from God to sustain it. ' ' The Lord brought 
him forth abroad, and said to him, Look now toward 
heaven, and tell the stars, if thou art able to number 
them ; and he also said to him, So shall thy seed be. 
Lift up thine eyes, and look from the place where thou 
art, northward, and southward, and eastward, and west- 
ward ; for all the land which thou seest to thee will I 
give it and to thy seed forever." An old man, and 
childless, yet it is said, " He believed in the Lord, and 
his faith was counted unto him for righteousness." 
Before God he was justified because of his great 
faith. To realize the strength of Abraham's faith, 
you must, in imagination, place yourself in the 
circumstances by which he was surrounded, and thus 
bring the whole case before your mind. Standing 
where we do to-day, we can look back over the history 



The Faith of Abraham. 237 

of the past, and see that the promises made to Abra- 
ham have been literally fulfilled. He is the father of 
two great peoples — one according to the flesh, and the 
other according to the spirit — each of which peoples is 
so numerous that they can not be computed by figures. 
The Hebrew nation, of which he is the founder, has 
had an existence in the world for nearly four thousand 
years. Who can estimate the number of Jews that 
have lived in all the bygone ages ? Abraham is the 
father of them all. Again, consider the number of 
Christian believers since the church began on the first 
Pentecost after the resurrection of our Lord ; Christians 
gathered out of all nations during the lapse of eighteen 
centuries. They are as the stars of heaven in num- 
bers, and as the sand which is on the sea shore, in- 
numerable ; yet Abraham is the father of all believers. 
"If you are Christ's, then are you Abraham's seed, 
and heirs according to promise." The Jewish nation 
and the whole Christian Church are both monuments 
of the truth of the religion of the Bible, and of God's 
faithfulness to his promises. I cite another instance 
showing the greatness of Abraham's faith. In obedi- 
ence to the divine command, he left Ur, the place of 
his nativity, and came to Haran ; thence to Shechem, 
thence southward to a mountain between Bethel and 
Ai ; thence he went on still toward the south. " But a 
wandering life through Canaan is not the worst of his 
condition. His faith is put to a new and severe trial." 
A famine comes upon the land, by which he is com- 
pelled to leave it, and seek subsistence elsewhere. The 
country so plainly promised as an inheritence to his 
seed when increased to the number of sand upon the 
sea shore, refuses subsistence to his family in its pres- 



238 Sermons. 

ent diminutive state. It is scourged by a famine. 
What then ? With the peevish prophet, who said, " I 
do well to be angry," does Abraham sit down and 
murmur ? Nay, his faith surmounts the obstacles that 
nature or providence raises, and he retires to Egypt to 
obtain the means of relief; and after the famine is over, 
he returns to the land of promise, all the time believ- 
ing in some way or other the promise would in due 
time be fulfilled, and the Lord would provide. 

But to a still severer trial is his heart put. 
Having patiently endured, he obtained the promise > 
of a son, Isaac, who is grown to manhood. In him all 
his hopes centered, because it was said to him, "In 
Isaac shall thy seed be called." But, behold, he is 
commanded to offer up Isaac as a burnt offering on a 
distant mountain! "Take now thy son, thine only 
son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land 
of Moriah, and offer him there for a burnt offering 
upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of." 

This is the most striking exhibition of faith on 
record. I know of nothing in all history that equals 
it. "By faith, when tried, Abraham offered up Isaac, 
and he who had received the promises offered up his 
only begotten son." Now the moral of the subject: 
Have faith in God ; walk by faith ; walk by faith in 
youth, in manhood, in old age ; in sickness and health ; 
in adversity and prosperity ; in trial, in weakness, in 
sorrow ; at all times and in all circumstances have faith 
in your Heavenly Father, in his providence, truth, 
goodness and love. 

Obey him : do whatever he bids you ; whether 
he gives you a reason for it or not, do just what he 
tells you. In no other way can you have any 



The Faith of Abraham. 239 

assurance that your faith is genuine, or saving. 
Obedience is both the manifestation and evidence of 
faith. He who obeys thereby gives scriptural and 
satisfactory proof that his faith is acceptable, and 
well pleasing to God. 



CHARACTER OF ABRAHAM. 

And the I^ord said, shall I hide from Abraham that 
thing which I do; seeing that Abraham shall surely become 
a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth 
shall be blessed in him ? (Genesis xviii. 17,18). 

I speak to you further this evening concerning the 
patriarch Abraham — a man whose name is honored and 
most highly esteemed in sacred history. He is the 
first man of whom it is said in the Holy Scriptures 
that he was chosen of God and was the anointed of 
Jehovah. There were other good men before him, as 
Abel, who received testimony that he pleased God; 
and Enoch, who was translated; and Noah, who, in 
obedience to a divine command prepared an ark for 
the saving of his family. These were good men, who 
feared God, wrought righteousness, and were well 
pleasing to him ; but Abraham is the first man of whom 
the things just named are said in the Scriptures. He 
was chosen to be the founder of a great nation, to be 
the ancestor of the Messiah, and the receiver of the 
divine promises. Covenants were made with him — at 
least three. A covenant concerning the Messiah : "In 
thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed." 
A covenant promising him the land of Canaan : 
"Unto thee and thy seed will I give this land." The 
covenant of circumcision: " He received the sign of 
circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of faith. " He 
was justified by faith before he was circumcised. His 



Character of Abraham. 241 

faith was reckoned to him for righteousness. Standing 
in the presence of God, who spoke to him, appeared 
to him, gave him commands and promises, he be- 
lieved — rested on his word which is the ground oi 
faith, which is final and irrevocable, that God who 
quickens the dead and calls the things that are not as 
though they were — on him he believed, and was ac- 
cepted as righteous in his sight. In the lecture given 
a week ago this evening, we spoke of his faith, mani- 
festing itself in obedience. His faith being strong and 
sincere, his obedience was prompt, active and decided. 
He obeyed because he believed. He was not only 
justified by faith, but after his justification he walked 
by faith. He was, in the highest sense of the word, a 
man of faith. This great principle controlled him in 
all things, and because of its existence in his heart his 
life was grand, noble, heroic, and worthy of imitation. 
Three things evince the strength and genuineness of 
his faith. His obedience to the divine call, which 
marks an epoch in sacred history ; his refraining from 
murmuring when a famine came upon the land prom- 
ised to him ; and the offering up of Isaac, his beloved 
child. 

In addition to his faith and submission to the di- 
vine will, I proceed to bring to your notice some other 
traits in the character of this man whom we are now 
considering, worthy of our admiration and imitation. 
A man's true character is exhibited in his life ; the 
life he lives reveals it, whether it be good or bad. 
" From their fruits you shall know them." This is the 
test and this is the rule for judging men laid down by 
our Saviour. And there are exigencies, emergencies, 
epochs, or special times in the history of every one, 



242 Sermons. 

when he is tested and put to the proof; when his real 
character, and the stuff of which he is made, are mani- 
fested, and you see what sort of man he is. You 
come to know him ; you are made acquainted with 
him, and are enabled to see of what spirit he is. There 
are such times in the history of every one's life — as 
Luther's, when he was about to appear before the 
Diet at Worms, in Germany. His friends advised him 
not to go ; they were afraid he would receive personal 
injury. His answer to their entreaties was : " If the 
devils were as thick as the tiles on the roofs of the 
houses, I would go." There was courage, and the evi- 
dence of it, in the determination to go where he 
thought duty called him. Trusting in God, he feared 
not the face of man. Paul and the evangelist Luke, his 
traveling companion, were abiding several days at 
Caesarea, in the house of Philip the evangelist, who 
was one of the seven deacons elected at Jerusalem. 
And while there, there came down from Judea a cer- 
tain prophet named Agabus, who told Paul what the 
Jews would do to him if he went up to Jerusalem ; but 
it did not deter him, as he calmly and firmly resolved 
to go. This incident shows the spirit of the man, his 
sublime faith, his inflexible courage, his willingness to 
face danger in the discharge of duty. Thus men de- 
velop themselves ; show what they really are, sooner 
or later, and it is a wise ordination that they should. 
There were times in the life of Abraham, which 
not only put to the proof and tested his faith and rev- 
erence for the will of God, but which developed other 
excellent traits of character He was a peace-loving 
man, of a peacable disposition and spirit. He was 
averse to strife. After his return from Egypt, we are 



Character of Abraham. 243 

told that Abraham was very rich in cattle, in silver and 
in gold. The land became too much crowded for him 
and Lot, so be made a generous offer to his nephew to 
choose, which he did. He was the older ; to him and 
his posterity the whole land was promised, and he 
might have commanded Lotas to where he should go; 
he might have assumed an air of authority over him, 
and said to him, "Just there you must go." But 
instead he was conciliatory, gentle, yielding, disposed 
to sacrifice his own interests, and go farther than he 
could be required for the sake of peace. Now, how 
many people there are whose temper and spirit are 
very different from this ? They are obstinate, refrac- 
tory, unyielding ; must have their own way in every- 
thing, will contend when there is no principle at stake, 
and nothing worth contending for; you must either 
yield to them or quarrel with them. How much we 
need the wisdom that is from above, which is first pure, 
then peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated, full of 
mercy and good fruits ; without partiality and without 
hyprocrisy. We are exhorted to follow after the 
things that make for peace, and things wherewith each 
may edify another. ' ' Happy are the peacemakers, 
for they shall be called the sons of God. " Peace in 
the family, in the home circle, in the church, in the 
community, in the state, in the nation, throughout the 
world, — this is greatly to be desired. 

Again, Abraham was a generous man ; his spirit 
was magnanimous ; he was characterized by distin- 
guished generosity. Though very rich in cattle, silver, 
and in gold, his riches did not make him covetous ; 
the riches he had did not increase his desire for still 
greater riches, as is the case with so many men. In 



244 Sermons. 

the days of Abraham, certain kings were joined 
together in the vale of Siddom, which is the Salt Sea. 
For purposes of safety and defense, they were confeder- 
ate, joined together in a confederacy — five of them. 
Against these five kings came four others, joined in a 
league, who reigned in countries further to the east ; 
and the four conquered the five, overcame and dis- 
comfited them. They took all the goods of Sodom 
and Gomorrah, and went their way. They also cap- 
tured Lot, Abraham's nephew, and his goods. Abra- 
ham, hearing that his brother's son was taken captive, 
armed his trained servants, born in his own house, and 
pursued them to Dan ; rescued Lot, and returned the 
stolen plunder, refusing any share of it. He was a 
man of great magnanimity, of remarkable benevolence 
and generosity. For kindness shown to those in need 
and distress he would not be paid. Consider his 
prayerfulness ; he was a man of prayer and true devo- 
tion to God. In supplication and prayer he wor- 
shiped Jehovah, and called on his name. In his so- 
journings from place to place, through the land of 
promise, wherever he pitched his tent, there he built 
an altar, and called on the name of the Lord. At 
Shechem, on the mountain between Bethel and Ai, at 
Beer-sheba, on the plain of Mamre, in every place in 
which he temporarily abode, an altar was reared and 
the Lord his God was worshiped. In his intercession 
on behalf of Sodom and Gomorrah there is given us 
a striking instance of his power with God in prayer. 
It was revealed to him that those cities, because of the 
wickedness of the inhabitants, were about to be de- 
stroyed. Abraham, knowing that his nephew Lot was 
in Sodom, became anxious for his safety, and betook 



Character of Abraham. 245 

himself to prayer. He drew near to the Lord and 
said: "Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the 
wicked ?" His importunity on this occasion is well 
worthy of our study. 



PERSONAL PLEDGES. 

And because of all this we make a sure covenant, and 
write it ; and our princes, L,evites, and priests, seal unto it. 
(Nehemiah ix. 38). 

Now it is in mine heart to make a covenant with the 
Lord God of Israel, that his fierce wrath may turn away 
from us. (II. Chronicles xxix. 10). 

Hezekiah, who spoke this, was the thirteenth king 
of Judah, and one of the three most perfect, pious, 
and righteous kings that people ever had. Of the 
twenty kings of Judah, David and Josiah are the only 
other two that can be compared with Hezekiah as to 
piety, devotion to the will of God, heartiness in his 
service, and earnestness in the restoration and purity of 
his worship, In the year B. C. 726, and at the age 
of twenty-five, he came to the throne of the kingdom 
of Judah, and reigned twenty -nine years. Dying in 
the fifty-fifth year of his age, "he was buried in the 
chiefest of the sepulchers of the sons of David ; and 
all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem did him 
honor at his death." During life, on account of the 
wisdom, purity, and beneficence of his reign, his true 
piety and exalted aims, the many sterling moral quali- 
ties he displayed, and his earnest keeping of the com- 
mandments of God (by which he gave a good example 
to the people over whom he ruled) — for these things he 
was greatly beloved while he lived; at his death he 
was sincerely mourned, and a princely burial was given 



Personal Pledges. 247 

him. Indeed, the good are always esteemed in this 
world ; esteemed even by the wicked who know and 
have witnessed their virtues and excellent moral quali- 
ties. Men are, after all, esteemed by others at about 
their true worth and value. People do not go very far 
astray in their judgment of others. Righteousness, 
purity, beneficence, integrity, moral worth exhibited 
in the life, awaken the admiration and reverence of all 
men, even of the bad, who are themselves destitute of 
these good traits, are a mighty power for good in this 
world, and are the only passports that will be accepted 
at the gate of heaven, The way, and the only way to 
embalm yourself in the memory and hearts of others, 
to be beloved while living, and sincerely regretted 
when dead, is to fear God, to work righteousness, to 
speak the truth in your heart, to walk uprightly, to do 
justly, to love mercy, and to be humble. An infidel 
would sooner trust a tried Christian, and would rather 
deal with him in business, than with one who, like 
himself, has no faith ; for he who has no faith in God 
has none in his fellow-men, and looks upon every one 
with distrust and suspicion. 

Goodness lives forever. Holiness is power, and 
secures both the favor of God and the respect of men. 
The character of King Hezekiah is briefly sketched by 
the sacred writer. It is said of him, He trusted in Jeho- 
vah, the God of Israel. This is the secret of that marvel- 
lous, superhuman strength with which men are some 
times clothed. It arms them with something of 
God's own righteousness. He clave to Jehovah and 
departed not from following him, but kept rrs com- 
mandments. He wrought righteousness; he did that 
which was good and right in the sight of the Lord 



248 Sermons. 

his God. He was a man of fervent prayer ; and, in 
answer to his prayer, fifteen years were added to the 
length of his life. He had faith ; he was obedient ; 
therefore Jehovah was with him, and he prospered 
whithersoever he went forth. * * In every work that he 
began in the service of the house of God, and in the 
law, and in the commandments to seek his God, he did 
it with all his heart, and prospered." What he did to 
cleanse and repair the temple, which, during preceding 
reigns, had been allowed to become a receptacle for 
almost all manner of filth ; what he did to reform the 
worship of God, to call the attention of the people to 
his institutions, and to insist on their observance ; what 
he did in giving the nation an example of prayerful- 
ness, of all good fidelity and strict obedience to the 
divine will ; his overthrow of the Assyrian army, and 
his deliverence of Jerusalem from the dangers that 
threatened it, is part of the Bible, and has come down 
to us in these ancient inspired records. Just after his 
ascension to the throne, when a young man twenty-five 
years of age, he did one thing which, no doubt, largely 
shaped, directed, and controlled his whole subsequent 
career. He entered into covenant with God. He 
said : "Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with 
the Lord God of Israel that his fierce wrath may turn 
away from us." The nature of that covenant, what 
in it he promised to do, the things he obligated him- 
self to perform by a solemn vow, we may rightly infer, 
I think, from his after life and conduct. He promised 
Jehovah, in the covenant he made with him, to be 
personally pious, to walk before him in faith, humility 
and reverential fear ; to do that which was good and 
right in his sight ; to cleanse and sanctify the temple, 



Personal Pledges. 249 

» 
which had been defiled ; to see that the Passover was 

duly kept and the required sacrifices offered ; and to 

throw the whole weight of his influence as king in 

favor of righteousness, goodness, piety toward God ; 

the purity and reformation of his worship, the divine 

honor and the good of the people. His subsequent 

pious life, upright conduct, and righteous deportment, 

were the outcome of the covenant he made with God 

on his ascension to regal power. 

In the Scriptures of divine truth we often read of 
the making of covenants ; of covenants that God 
made with man, as with Abraham, which he renewed 
to Isaac : with the nation of Israel at Sinai, when he 
gave them his law, the Ten Commandants, written on 
two tables of stone ; and to-day God makes a cove- 
nant with every true believer who accepts the terms of 
his covenant. We also read in this book of cove- 
nants which men made with God, and with each other, 
that, in the time of Nehemiah, the Israelites, who 
returned from the seventy years' captivity, made with 
one another a ' ' sure covenant, and wrote it out in 
words ; and the princes, Levites and priests sealed it," 
thus pledging themselves to fulfill its terms, and to 
walk before God as they had promised. 

Now, the practical application. What of all this to 
us? What has it to do with you and me? I have 
shown you the scriptural authority for making a cove- 
nant with God, for a whole congregation and people 
doing this, and for entering into covenant with each 
other ; and I would fain persuade you all to do just 
what these people in ancient times did : Enter anew 
into covenant with God, and with one another, that we 
will henceforth live in obedience to the precepts of the 



250 Sermons. 

gospel, and, as it respects each other, in brotherly love 
and affection. This is a favorable time to enter into 
such a covenant. In the providence of our God, and 
through his hand which is always upon us for good, 
we have been brought to the close of another year. 
To-morrow we begin a new year of our brief life. To 
some of us it will be our last year. Before it ends, 
the earthly career of some of those now present will 
have ended, and the great question of your personal 
destiny will be settled forever. Now, let me tell you 
what to do. As there can be no acceptable piety 
toward God without love, charity and forgiveness 
toward your neighbor, adjust everything that needs 
adjusting with your fellow-men. Are you alienated 
from your brother? Be reconciled to him. That is 
your first duty, Has he offended you ? Has he said 
or done something at which you have taken umbrage ? 
He may have done it unwittingly; he may have 
had no intention of wounding your feelings, or doing 
you a wrong. Hence you must not say, " I will have 
nothing more to do with that person ; he has wronged 
me, and I resent it." Do not come to that conclusion 
too soon. Go to him ; tell him what he said or did at 
which you have taken offense, and give him a chance 
so explain, and in nine cases out of ten the matter can 
be adjusted in a few moments. We are so apt to im- 
pute wrong motives to people, when they are not 
actuated by wrong motives. 

Above all things live in charity toward thy neigh- 
bor. Again, as it respects your fellow-men, pay him 
whom you owe. Conduct your business, whatever it 
ma) be, on sound moral principles. The very first 
requirement of the divine will is, that man shall do 



Personal Pledges. 251 

justly, uprightly, and pursue that which is absolutely 
right as between him and his neighbor. "Go not be- 
yond, and defraud not your brother in any matter." 
Pay him whom thou owest. If not already free, 
become free as soon as possible from pecuniary obliga- 
tions to your fellow-men. Cultivate patience and 
kindness to your fellow-beings. Remember Mr. Lin- 
coln's words; they are worthy of being engraved on 
the tablets of every man's memory: "With malice 
toward none, with charity for all." Be free from 
malice ; be filled with charity. We are all poor, weak, 
erring, sinful and sinning creatures, needing mercy, 
patience, help and forgiveness from our God ; and 
shall we not extend to others that which we ourselves 
must have from God, or perish ? 4 ' Be ye kind to one 
another ; tender-hearted, forgiving one another; even as 
God, for Christ's sake, has forgiven you." And 
further, as to your God, enter into covenant with him. 
Bind yourself by a solemn promise that you will be 
faithful to him, and mindful of the vows you have 
heretofore made ; that there shall not be in you an evil 
heart; that you will search the scriptures more dili- 
gently ; that you will pray more ; go to the throne of 
grace more frequently and tarry there longer ; that you 
will be more faithful and conscientious in attending 
public worship, and the meetings of the church for 
prayer; that in all things you will conduct yourself 
as becomes a child of God, a follower of Christ, and 
an heir to the kingdom of glory. Will you make 
this covenant with God, write it down, sign and seal it? 
It is good for a man to bind himself by promise, by 
solemn vows. The effect on the subsequent life and 
conduct is good and healthful. 



252 Sermons. 

Let there be to-day, on the part of all, hearty- 
confession of sin ; prayer for forgiveness ; meditation 
on the brevity of human life ; and the formation of 
an earnest purpose that henceforth we will be the 
Lord's ; will live to him, and with reference to the 
world to come. Then our God will bless us, guide 
us, and make us pure, wise, and strong. 



INTRODUCTORY LECTURE ON THE ACTS. 

FIRST CHAPTER. 

During the first six months of the year 1863, of 
which to-morrow is the first day, the International 
Sunday-school lessons will be in the Book of Acts, 
the first chapter of which was read this evening as a 
part of the introductory services. I propose to make 
each lesson the subject of a discourse, sermon, or lec- 
ture, at one or other of the services on the Lord's day 
previous to that on which the lesson is taught. I hope 
thereby to direct special attention to the contents of 
this important part of the New Testament writings, and 
awaken some interest in the study of it, not only in the 
minds of the teachers, but of the members of the church 
and congregation as well. The whole church should 
look upon itself as a school for the study of the Holy 
Scriptures ; and for training and discipline in Christian 
life and character, and this with special reference to our 
entrance into the kingdom of glory and the higher life of 
heaven. The Church of Christ on earth is not an end, 
but a means ; it is preparatory in its aim and purpose. 
In preparatory schools boys and young people are 
fitted and prepared for college. The word disciple 
means pupil learner, follower ; and in the Church of 
Christ on earth, we are to be trained, fitted, disciplined 
and prepared for the world to come ; for an eternal 
abode with our Saviour in heaven ; for higher service, 
and for spheres of enlarged usefulness in the great uni- 
verse of our Father. And as the Word of God is the 



254 Sermons. 

nutriment of the spiritual life, the food of the soul ; as 
it strengthens, edifies, builds up in every virtue, and 
makes strong against temptation, and in good charac- 
ter, it should dwell in us richly, and we should be con- 
stantly increasing in the knowledge thereof. 

In the New Testament there are twenty-seven 
books, pamphlets, or separate documents, bound to- 
gether, and constituting the one volume. These books, 
as to their contents, may be divided into the following 
classes : (i) biographical ; (2) historical ; (3) epistolary 
or didactic ; (4) prophetical. Looked at in another light, 
and viewed from a different standpoint, the four gos- 
pels tell us what we are to believe, and make known to 
us the One on whom we are to believe in order to sal- 
vation and eternal life. In the Book of Acts men are 
told what to do in order to be saved ; for we must not 
only believe on him who came down from heaven to 
deliver us from sin and death, but we must act ; do 
the will of God, obey the truth, obey from the heart 
the form of doctrine delivered to the saints. Again, 
after we believe and obey, and become members of 
the Church, we need instruction and information as to 
the character we must form in order to final entrance 
into the kingdom of glory. Further, knowing, be- 
lieving and obeying the truth, and forming a good, 
righteous character, a character which resembles that 
of Christ himself, for our comfort and encouragement, 
we need to know what our reward will be, and our 
hope when realized. This we are told in the Book of 
Revelation, which may be called the Christian's book 
of prospects. Thus the four classes of books in the 
New Testament are exactly suited to our wants, and 
designed to give us just the instruction we need. This 



Introductory Lecture on Acts. 255 

arrangement, or classification, should be kept in view 
in studying the New Testament, as it will greatly aid 
us in attaining a comprehensive knowledge of its con- 
tents. Now, what is there in this section or portion of 
the chapter read ? (1) The dedication of the book to 
a man bearing the name Theophilus. (2) A statement 
that our Saviour, after his resurrection, showed him- 
self to be living by many infallible proofs. (3) He 
gave them a command and a promise. (4) The declar- 
ation that the gospel should be preached throughout 
the whole world, even to the utmost part of the earth. 
(5) His ascension from Mount Olivet to heaven in the 
presence of eye-witnesses. Referring to the gospel 
written by himself, Luke says: "The former treatise, 
[z. e. , narrative, recital, or historical account] I made, 
O Theophilus, concerning all things that Jesus be- 
gan both to do and teach." That is to say, the gos- 
pel as given us by Luke is a brief recital of what Jesus 
began to do and teach, from the beginning of his per- 
sonal ministry to his ascension to the right hand of 
God. Notice, it is said: "concerning all things." 
His ministry did not end with his death. After his 
resurrection it was continued with tokens of still more 
searching and irresistible power. He not only ap- 
peared to the disciples whom he chose, but he spoke 
to them, taught them, instructed them, unfolded to 
them the great principles of the kingdom of God. To 
the two disciples who went to Emmaus, and to whom 
he manifested himself on the evening of the same day 
that he arose, he must have spoken quite a lengthy 
discourse ; for it is said : " And beginning from Moses 
and all the prophets, he explained unto them in all the 
scriptures the things concerning himself." And when 



256 Sermons. 

with the eleven, and others who were with them, it is 
said: "He opened their understanding that they 
might understand the scriptures." At the sea of Tibe- 
rias he had a conversation with Peter, which is record- 
ed at some length, and in detail, by the apostle John. 
And after his ascension, and the descent of the Spirit 
on the day of Pentecost, his ministry was continued, 
not personally, but through the apostles, to whom he 
gave marvelous power ; the power to remit sins, to per- 
form signs, wonders and mighty deeds ; the power to 
proclaim authoritatively and infallibly, the terms of ad- 
mission to the kingdom of heaven. Such power had 
never before been given to mortal man. We ought to 
remember this, and make this distinction ; for it is 
clearly made in the New Testament. The miracles 
wrought by the Christ during his public ministry, and 
in proof of his divine mission, were performed by 
power given him from the Father. After his resurrec- 
tion, Jesus was clothed with all power in heaven and 
on earth, and the miracles wrought by the apostles 
were performed by power given them by Christ, the 
ascended Lord. From the day of Pentecost forward, 
everything was done in his name ; because dominion, 
and the kingdom, and the glory, honor and all authori- 
ty in heaven and on earth were given to the Son : 
hence, Christ's ministry was continued through the 
apostles till the end of the first century. Of the proofs 
of the resurrection of our Lord from the dead we have 
already spoken ; and, therefore, I need not again re- 
cur to them further than to say that these proofs were 
given in his various reappearings to his disciples dur- 
ing a period of forty days, from his resurrection to his 
ascension. In the tenth of Acts Peter says: "God 



Introductory Lecture on Acts. 257 

raised him from the dead." Our risen Lord gave to 
his disciples certain great commands, as * ' Go into all 
the world. ''Preach the gospel to every creature. " 
" Make disciples of all the nations. Baptize believers 
into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of 
the Holy Spirit." His command also: "Depart not 
from Jerusalem until the Spirit has come upon 
you. Wait for the promise of the Father, which 
you heard from me," This great promise of the 
Spirit he had repeatedly given, as we learn from many 
passages in John's gospel. The Spirit given to the 
apostles was to them a Spirit of power. " You shall 
receive power, when the Holy Ghost is come upon 
you." A spirit of inspiration, of illumination, of 
mental enlightenment, of instruction and guidance into 
a knowledge of the truth. His mission was to take 
the things of Christ, and show them to the apostles. 
How weak the disciples were before the Spirit came ; 
how strong afterwards ! Truly he was to them and in 
them a spirit of power ! Another promise was that of 
his presence with them always. "Lo, I am with you 
alway, even unto the end of the world." At one of 
the appearances with which Jesus favored his disciples 
they asked him a question, saying: " Lord, wilt thou 
at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel ? " Be- 
fore the death and resurrection this was not done ; and 
now, that thou art advanced in power, wilt thou do 
this ? Even to the very last the apostles clung to the 
idea of a temporal kingdom, and an earthly reign of 
the Messiah. The true nature and character of Christ's 
kingdom was not yet understood by them. The two 
disciples who went to Emmaus on the evening of the 
day of the resurrection said: "We were hoping that 



258 Sermons. 

Jesus was he who should have redeemed Israel." 
Jesus said to them : "It is not yours to know the 
times and seasons which the Father hath put in his 
own power." As if he had said: "That is a secret 
known only to the Father ; the exact time of the res- 
toration of the kingdom to Israel he sees not fit to dis- 
close." 

Lastly, the ascension of our Lord, the return of 
the disciples from the place thereof to an upper room 
in the city, and their continuance for ten days in prayer. 
The personal ascension of our Saviour is declared by 
both Mark and Luke, and by the latter both in the 
gospel he wrote and the first chapter of Acts. Mark's 
gospel ends thus : ' ' The Lord, therefore, after he had 
spoken to them, was received up into heaven and sat on 
"the right hand of God." By this ascension is simply 
meant his elevation to the throne of the universe, to 
the right of power, " the right hand of the majesty in 
the heavens. " Luke says : " And when he had spoken 
these things, while they beheld, he was taken up, and a 
cloud received him out of their sight. " And while they 
were looking intently into heaven as he rose, behold, 
two men (angels) stood by and spake to them. Thus, 
we believe on the Christ as the one crucified, risen, 
exalted and glorified Lord. Now, why did he ascend ? 
" He ascended far above all heavens that he might ful- 
fill all things ; " that he might draw the hearts and the 
hopes of his people to the skies. The only way 
man can be purified in heart, and consequently in 
life, is by setting his affections on things above, not on 
the things on the earth. He ascended that he might 
be a forerunner for us in the heavens. (Heb. vi. 19,20). 
His ascension is thus seen to be the true antitype of 



Introductory Lecture on Acts. 259 

the high priest's yearly entrance into the holy of 
holies. 

The witnesses of his ascension ' ' returned from 
the mount called Olivet." What was the burden of 
their supplications ? Evidently the Saviour's promise, 
the fulfillment of his promise in the gift, descent and 
outpouring of the Spirit. 



INTRODUCTORY LECTURE ON THE ACTS. 

In the book of Acts there are four great objects 
prominently set forth, which distinctly appear on its 
pages, and which it is well to keep constantly in 
mind, in studying, and teaching. 

(i) The Holy Spirit sent forth from heaven after 
the ascension of Jesus, given in fulfillment of the Old 
Testament prophecy and of New Testament promise, 
given to complete the work begun by Christ, and to 
carry it forward to perfection. 

(2) The apostles anointed, endued with power 
from on high, strengthened with might, through the 
divine Spirit, strengthened with all strength according 
to his glorious power, and thus qualified to per- 
form the duties of their apostolic office. They were 
Christ's ambassadors, his plenipotentiaries to the 
world, clothed with an authority and power possessed 
by none since their day. They stood in a special re- 
lation to Christ, in which no other man has stood since 
the death of the apostle John. The difference between 
a disciple and an apostle is obvious, and should be 
understood by all. That difference is at least four 
fold. First, the apostles were eye and ear witnesses 
of the Saviour. They saw him with their eyes ; they 
heard him with their ears ; they handled him with 
their hands. They received their commission direct 
from him. In giving it he spoke to them audibly, 

verbally, and in words which they understood. 

260 



Introductory Lecture on Acts. 261 

He gave them the power of remitting sins — a 
power given to none others. 

They were inspired men and clothed with super- 
natural gifts. Miraculous powers were conferred upon 
them. They spoke as the Spirit gave them utterance. 
It follows, therefore, that in office the apostles have 
no successors. They can not have ; it never was de- 
signed that they should have. Inspiration and super- 
natural gifts vanished with the disappearance of the 
apostles from the stage of human action. The true 
successors of the apostles, however, are they who con- 
form to their teaching, who believe the word spoken 
by them, and practice the things enjoined by them, 
rejecting the commandments and traditions of men; 
preach the gospel as they preached it, and insist upon 
obedience thereto in all things. 

(3) The third thing distinctly set before us in this 
book is the gospel preached by the anointed apostles 
in the fullness of its blessings, and in the greatness of 
the salvation offered in it ; in its facts, commands and 
promises ; in its warnings and threatenings, infallibly, 
authoritatively, and with the Holy Spirit sent down 
from heaven. It was preached that they might hear, 
obey, and be saved from their sins ; and, thus purified 
in heart by faith, and in their souls by obedience, and 
coming into new relations to God, they might stand in 
his favor and rejoice in the hope of eternal life. Now, 
the true test of faith in Christ and respect for his au- 
thority is conformity to the preaching and teaching of 
the apostles. 

(4) Further, in this book the true Church comes 
into distinct existence, formed by his wondrous grace, 
created in Christ Jesus for good works, the body of 



262 Sermons. 

Christ the pillar and ground of the truth, formed to be 
the temple of the Divine Spirit, to show forth the ex- 
cellencies of him who called us out of darkness into 
his marvelous light, the individual members of which 
are builded together for a habitation of God in the 
Spirit, and as living stones are built up a spiritual 
house, a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices 
acceptable to God through Jesus Christ, adopted into 
the family of God, taken into communion with Christ, 
and made one in her aims and destiny with him, walk- 
ing in religious fellowship and brotherly love with each 
other, and in the consolation of the Holy Spirit, thus 
manifesting their heavenly birth, and rejoicing in the 
hope of final deliverance from the bondage of corrup- 
tion into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 
Here we find the one, true, primitive, apostolic church, 
founded'on the rock of Christ's own divinity, exercising 
faith in him, keeping his commandments, and observ- 
ing his ordinances. This is the church to which we 
should belong, and about which we should desire to 
know, the one great church of God, divine in its origin 
and foundation, divine in its laws and ordinances, di- 
vine in its hopes, aims, purposes and destiny. Jesus 
said: "On this rock I will build my church, and the 
gates of hell shall not prevail against it." " Will" he 
uses in the future tense, in time after the present; the 
work of beginning and building up my church in the 
world will be carried forward, a work extending 
through all the ages, reaching out to the utmost part 
of the earth, and embracing all nations. The book of 
Acts shows us where the church began to be formed. 
Jerusalem was the place of beginning, the selfsame 
city in which the Lord was crucified. What grace on 



Introductory Lecture on Acts. 263 

the part of heaven to offer salvation, first of all, to the 
crucifiers of the Son of God ! In the name of the 
risen, crowned Christ, the proclamation of pardon was 
made in the very city where, and to the very people 
who put him to death fifty-three days before. The 
apostles were to begin at Jerusalem ; they were to be 
Christ's witnesses right there ; then go unto all the 
world to preach the gospel to the whole creation. Fur- 
ther, from this book we learn how the church was 
formed through the ministry of the apostles, what the 
apostles preached, what the people believed and what 
they did in order to come into the church, and conse- 
quently, the characteristics of the true church. She 
was founded on the Christ. He was her chief corner- 
stone, the object of her faith, the source of her life, 
strength, inspiration and power. "Behold," says 
Jehovah, "I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a 
tried, a precious corner-stone, a sure foundation which 
is laid. Other foundation can no one lay than that 
which is laid, which is Christ Jesus." The true 
church is built, not upon Peter, not upon any man, 
not on any doctrine, or doctrines, however correct, 
but on a divine person, the Son of God, Christ Jesus, 
the chief corner stone. He is the one sure, all-suffi- 
cient, divine foundation, "the head of the corner," 
and there is salvation in no other. To the primitive 
church, as to us, Christ was beginning, middle and end, 
first and last, all in all, Teacher, Prophet, Priest, and 
King, Friend, Brother, Helper, Saviour, Leader, Com- 
mander, everything. 

Another characteristic of the true church is to be 
noted, viz.: The place of beginning, not Ephesus, or 
Corinth, or Rome, but Jerusalem, the city of the Great 



264 Sermons. 

King, where the temple was, where the records of the 
nation were kept, and where the Jews from all parts of 
the world were wont to assemble three times every year 
to observe their feasts. The church was planted right 
there, and thence spread east, west, north and south 
toward the ends of the earth. The gospel of heavenly 
grace was first preached in the very city where Jesus 
was rejected, despised, crucified, buried, raised from 
the dead, and appeared to his disciples at different 
times for forty days. . 

Further, the members of the church at Jerusalem 
believed on the same Saviour, believed the same truths, 
and facts respecting him, exercised the same faith, ren- 
dered the same obedience, thus passing under the same 
dominion, and coming under the same authority, 
obeyed from the heart the same form of doctrine de- 
livered to them, and, therefore, enjoyed the same for- 
giveness, received the same Divine Spirit, and became 
one in heart and soul, in aim, spirit, hope, purpose and 
destiny. 

On a previous occasion I directed your attention to 
the marvelous effects of Peter's sermon in the conver- 
sion of three thousand souls. I now direct your atten- 
tion to the equally marvelous effects manifested in the* 
life and character of the converts. The good work did 
not stop with their baptism ; nay, that was the begin- 
ning of the great work which went grandly forward. 
On the first day of the week, perhaps oftener, they 
met for public worship ; they came together in their 
religious assemblies ; the apostles taught, and the dis- 
ciples attended constantly on their teaching, listening 
patiently to their instruction. The fellowship, which 
means here a charitable contribution for the relief of 



Introductory Lecture on Acts. 265 

the necessitous ; the breaking of bread, which means 
the Lord's Supper, and the prayers, were all devoutly 
observed. But that is not all. Notice how charitable 
they became, how liberal, in consequence of their con- 
version. There were many there who, from the very 
nature of the circumstances that surrounded them, 
needed assistance. Their personal wants had to be 
supplied, and hence there was an outpouring of 
genuine liberality toward the needy. 

" All that believed were together, and had all things 
common; and sold their possessions and laid them 
down at the apostles' feet." This was not command- 
ed ; it was an effect produced by their submission to 
the Gospel. Ah ! how the gospel changes men ! Revo- 
lutionizes them ! Makes them over again ! Trans- 
forms them ! Makes them new creatures in Christ 
Jesus ! Gives them a new spirit ! Fills them with new 
and better desires, hopes and aspirations ! Makes 
them unselfish, liberal, kind-hearted, beneficent ! Such 
are the uniform effects of truth, faith and obedience to 
Christ, and in these effects is seen its power to save. 
The gospel is the only remedy for sin,— the only power 
adequate to meet the necessities of man's case. Christ 
is the only Saviour; "there is no other name under 
heaven," and the gospel is the only means ; "the power 
of God for salvation." A divine power, a heaven- 
born power. Jesus brought the power and the glory 
of the upper worlds down into this to deliver man from 
the curse of the dominion of sin, and take him with 
himself to heaven as a trophy of his wondrous grace. 
Human philosophy, science, metaphysics, speculative 
theology, — all these fail to save ! They are impotent 
in the presence of man's mighty needs. They have been 



266 Sermons. 

tried successively, and failure written on every one of 
them. Robert Owen, in his debate with Mr. Campbell 
on the evidences of Christianity, laid down twelve 
propositions, which he called social laws, by obedience 
to which, he imagined, the world would be regenerated 
and man improved as a moral being. Not one in a 
million of the people, however, has ever heard of his 
social laws ; but the Gospel of Christ, wherever faith- 
fully preached and truly believed, does its great work, 
enlightening the people, renewing their minds and 
hearts, transforming them into the image of the Sav- 
iour, revealing to man his own immortality, bring- 
ing him under the control and inspiration of the high- 
est motives, and giving him the object worthy to live 
for, worthy of his intensest devotion and loftiest ener- 
gies. In formmg good resolutions about the beginning 
of the year stop not short of that resolution, the car- 
rying of which will bring you into the church, the 
temple of God, the only institution on earth which has 
for its special object the salvation of men from sin and 
death, their spiritual culture, religious training and 
preparation for the world to come, for the high honors 
and glorious destiny of the redeemed in heaven. 
Come to the fountain of life ; come to the source of all 
help, come to Him who gave himself for thee, the Lamb 
of God that takes away the sin of the world. Come 
and be saved ; come and be guided in the way of peace ; 
come and be glorified with Christ. 



THE DESCENDING SPIRIT. 

And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and be- 
gan to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them 
utterance. (Acts ii. 4). 

The day of Pentecost mentioned in this chap 
ter, and the events that occurred in Jerusalem on 
that day, marked a new epoch in the history of 
human redemption. That day is most memorable in 
the annals of the New Testament church. It is a day 
which was foretold and looked forward to for centuries 
before it came, and ever since its sacred hours passed it 
has been looked back upon as a new era in the grand 
march of sacred historical events, and as the starting 
point in Christian church history. In the descent of 
the Spirit, and the mighty works that immediately fol- 
lowed, type, prophecy and promise were all fulfilled. 

Old Testament type was fulfilled. After the ex- 
odus of the Israelites from Egypt, and their passage 
through the Red Sea as by dry land, while they were 
tarrying at Mount Sinai, Moses was called to go up 
into the mount. He obeyed the call, Joshua and 
the elders of Israel accompanying him to the base of 
the mountain ; while there, enveloped in clouds, and in 
communion with Jehovah, a pattern of the tabernacle 
was given him. The whole structure, with its divisions, 
and the furniture of each division, was made to pass 
before the vision of Moses. And on coming down it 
was said to him : ' ' See that thou make it according 

to the pattern shown thee in the mount." Now, tl\e 

367 



268 Sermons. 

tabernacle is a type of the church. This we are dis- 
tinctly taught in the letter to the Hebrews. The one 
hundred and twenty disciples in Jerusalem formed the 
nucleus of the church ; and, being prepared by faith, 
obedience and prayer for the gift and reception of the 
Divine Spirit, he came, in fullness and power, to abide 
in the church and sanctify it by his presence, gifts and 
graces. 

The Spirit, therefore, given to the disciples, filling 
their hearts, inspiring, animating, endueing them with 
power from on high, clothing them with superhuman 
wisdom and strength, thus qualifying them for their 
great mission in preaching the gospel, is tne antitype 
of the glory of Jehovah filling the tabernacle. In 
allusion to this the apostle Peter says : ' ' The Spirit of 
glory and of God resteth upon you." 

Again, prophecy was fulfilled ; especially that of 
Joel, quoted by Peter, a prophecy which, doubtless^ 
Peter never understood till that day. In explanation 
of the remarkable phenomena witnessed on that day, 
he said to the assembled multitude: 6t This is that 
which was spoken by the prophet Joel." Further, 
Christ's promise was fulfilled on this day ; also the 
words of John the Baptist, who said: " After me 
comes One who is preferred before me." As the time 
of his sufferings drew near, Jesus repeatedly promised 
the Spirit to his disciples ; after his resurrection he re- 
peated the promise once more to impress it indelibly 
on their minds, saying : "You shall be baptized in the 
Holy Spirit not many days hence." "The Comforter, 
the Holy Spirit, whom the world can not receive," " I 
will send him to you from the Father, the Spirit of 
Truth, who proceeds from the Father." " I tell you 



The Descending Spirit. 269 

the truth, it is expedient for you that I go away ; for if 
I go not away the Comforter will not come." Thus, 
with great fullness, clearness of statement, and repeti- 
tion, he promised them one who would be more to 
them in the execution of their great task than his per- 
sonal presence would be. It was better that he should 
go, and the Spirit come, than that he should be here 
and the Spirit remain in heaven. Christ's personal work 
on earth was finished ; he could do no more ; no more in- 
deed was needed to be done by him. What did he do 
during his personal ministry ? What did he accomplish ? 
What great work did he effect ? We may, I think, sum- 
marize Christ's work on earth in the following statements: 

(1) He preached his own gospel, that it might be 
seen to be undeniably his. 

(2) Living a perfect life he set before men a perfect ex- 
ample. We affirm absolute perfection of our Saviour's 
earthly life. It was without blemish, fault, defect, or 
imperfection. And, therefore, he is the One Man 
whom it is safe for every other to follow ; and just in 
proportion as we approach, likeness to Christ do we 
approach moral and spiritual perfection. 

(3) He revealed the Father ; he manifested to the 
world the moral character and perfections of the great 
Jehovah. "No one has seen God at any time; the 
only begotten Son, he hath declared him." Would 
you know the attributes, perfection, and true character 
of the Infinite One ; in a word, would you know what 
kind of a being the Supreme Ruler of the universe 
is, study the character of Jesus the Nazarene. 

(4) By his voluntary death he made an atonement 
for the sins of men, and therefore removed every 
legal obstacle in the way of the world's redemption. 



270 Sermons. 

(5) By his resurrection he brought to us the hope 
of immortal life. Death is a conquered foe. Eternal 
life is an assured hope to all believers. " He abolished 
death, and brought life and immortality to light." 

(6) Free access to God through him ; admission to the 
divine presence ; the beatific vision ; the unclouded vision 
of the Holy One, that vision which will transform the 
soul into the likeness of him whom we behold. These 
are the great and important ends accomplished for us 
by the personal mission of Jesus ; yet great as that 
mission was we may affirm it would have proved a fail- 
ure had it not been for the advent and work of the 
Spirit. Each of the divine persons in the glorious 
Godhead has his own and appropriate work to do in our 
redemption. The Father plans, the Son executes, the 
Spirit consummates. The Father upholds, the Son re- 
deems, the Spirit sanctifies. Hence, the Spirit's mission 
began when Christ's personal work on earth ceased. 
The Saviour went to heaven to be crowned, to receive 
for himself a kingdom, and to be enthroned, and he sent 
the Spirit to carry on the work which he himself had 
begun. 

But now, mark this : there are conditions on 
which the Spirit is given to men. He is not given to 
everybody, irrespective of their faith, state of mind or 
desire. Our Lord himself says : " The world can not 
receive him." Again: "I will send him to you, my 
disciples." Unasked and unsolicited, God gave his 
Son, a great gift, an unspeakable gift, to enlighten, in- 
struct and redeem this fallen race. He who rejects this 
gift, a Saviour from heaven, will never receive this 
other, the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Redeemer 
must be received, or the Sanctifier will not come to 



The Descending Spirit. 271 

you. The reception of the Son of God by faith and 
subjection to his will is the condition of receiving the 
Spirit. On these terms the Spirit is sent to man. (1) 
Faith. " This spoke Jesus of the Spirit which they 
that believe on him should receive." (2) Obedience. 
" God gives the Holy Spirit to them who obey him." 
(2) Prayer. "If you then, being evil, know how to give 
good gifts to your children, how much more will your 
Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them who ask 
him." Observe how all these conditions were com- 
plied with by the disciples at Jerusalem upon whom 
the Spirit came. They had faith. Though Jesus was 
now removed from their vision, they believed on him 
more firmly than ever before. In thought, and in the 
exercise of faith, they followed him into the heavens 
whither he had gone. They also obeyed him. He 
told them not to depart from the city till the Spirit 
came ; till they were endued with power from on high. 
They did what he told them. They obeyed the in- 
structions given them. Further, they prayed for the 
Spirit. This, evidently, was the burden of their sup- 
plications. They did not forget the promise, nor did 
the ascended Lord forget it. The day of Pentecost 
having fully come, they were all with one accord in one 
place. ' 'And suddenly there came a sound out of heaven 
as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house 
where they were sitting. " This was a baptism, an im- 
mersion in the Spirit of God. Undoubtedly all their 
intellectual and moral faculties were pervaded by his 
presence ; and consequently there was a mental illumi- 
nation, an elevation of mind, a dignity and loftiness of 
thought, a perception of the spiritual nature of Christ's 
kingdom, and a knowledge of the purpose of his mis- 



272 Sermons. 

sion, of which before they had scarcely conceived. 
They underwent a complete mental revolution, and 
were anointed to be Christ's ambassadors to the world. 
Another effect of this baptism in the Spirit — and a 
miraculous one — was their speaking in foreign tongues. 
' ' They began to speak with tongues as the Spirit gave 
them utterance." What a miracle ! How astonishing ! 
No wonder the multitude were confounded and amazed ! 
They were Galileans, plain men, uneducated fishermen 
from the sea of Tiberias, yet speaking to assembled 
multitudes in twelve or fifteen different tongues, no one 
of which they had ever studied. 

Now, this was a baptism in the Spirit. It was not 
the ordinary gift of the Divine Spirit promised to all 
who believe and obey the truth. The sound coming 
out of heaven ; the appearance of a tongue-like flame 
resting on each of them ; the speaking in so many 
languages ; the supernatural knowled displayed by the 
apostles ; these things show that the whole transaction 
was miraculous and above that which is of common 
occurrence. In every instance of a baptism in the 
Spirit miraculous effects followed. (Acts x. and xix.). 
The fruits of baptism in the Spirit are named by the 
apostles in the twelfth chapter of I. Corinthians : 
" There are diversities of gifts, but one Spirit." 

The fruits of the ordinary reception of the divine 
Spirit are specified by Paul in the fifth chapter of 
Galatians. ' ' The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, 
long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness ; 
against such there is no law." I now remark: (1) In- 
stead of inspired preachers to-day, we have the word of 
inspired men to guide and direct us, The apostles are 
dead, but their word spoken and written lives and is 



The Descending Spirit. 273 

with us. If any man comes to you claiming to speak 
by inspiration, reject him at once and bid him not God- 
speed. This written, glorious word is to guide us both 
in our preaching and practice. 

(2) Instead of miracles we have what is far better, 
Love. ' ■ Now abideth faith, hope, love ; these three, 
but the greatest of them is love. Love is the bond of 
perfectness, the fulfillment of the law, the end of the 
divine commandment, the queen of the Christian 
graces ; and he who walks in love, is controlled and ani- 
mated thereby in all his actions and life, gives the most 
satisfactory evidence of vital union with Christ. 

Come, therefore, to this word of our God. Study 
it ; become familiar with it by much study and prayer- 
ful meditation ; obey it ; and rest assured you will best 
honor God by doing just what he bids you. 



THE BELIEVING PEOPLE. 

Then they that gladly received his word were baptized : 
and the same day there were added unto them about three 
thousand souls. (Acts ii. 41). 

The name or title of the Sunday-school lesson to be 
studied this week and taught next Lord's day is The 
Believing People. And in the presentation of the sub- 
ject I shall observe the following method: (1) The 
substance of the sermon preached by the apostle Peter; 
(2) the effects produced thereby. The place was Jeru- 
salem. The time was the day of Pentecost, a day and 
a time for which ample preparations had been made, 
and in which many prophecies and types found their 
fulfillment. " There were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, 
devout men out of every nation under heaven." Fif- 
teen nations were there represented, from Parthia on 
the east to Rome on the west ; z. e., Jews were present 
at Jerusalem at the time from all these nations, having 
come thither to attend the annual feast called Pentecost. 
The Spirit had come in fullness of gifts and power. 
The Saviour's words: "You shall be baptized in the 
Holy Spirit," were fulfilled. The sound of his presence 
in the upper room was heard through the city ; and the 
multitude came together and were confounded, amazed 
and wondered at that which was come to pass — viz., 
they heard the Galilean fishermen speak in their own 
native tongues. Peter was the spokesman. He 
preached the sermon, because to him had been given 
the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And he ex- 



The Believing People. 275 

plained the remarkable phenomena witnessed on that 
occasion. This, said he, is the fulfillment of a pro- 
phecy spoken by Joel more than seven hundred years 
ago. "I will pour my spirit on all flesh." He 
charges the Jews with the crucifixion of the Messiah. 
He was very bold. He spoke forth the whole truth 
without abatement, concealment, or palliation. "Men 
of Israel, hear these words ! " etc. The next point 
he makes is Christ's resurrection. "This Jesus God 
raised up, whereof we are witnesses." 

Speaking to a Jewish audience, with great appropri- 
ateness he quotes from the Jewish scriptures. ' ' Think 
it not strange that the Christ should rise from the dead ; 
your own scriptures foretell his resurrection. David, 
whom you acknowledge to be a true prophet, says con- 
cerning him : ( Thou wilt not leave my soul in the 
grave ; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see 
corruption. ' ' Henceforth, we know how to interpret 
the sixteenth Psalm. Peter has taught us. It relates 
to the resurrection of Jesus our Lord. 

His exaltation. This is the next great truth 
concerning the Messiah, to which Peter gives utter- 
ance. " Being therefore exalted to the right hand of 
God, and having received from the Father the promise 
of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this which ye now 
see and hear." Christ's exaltation was in answer to 
prayer. ' ' Glorify me with thine own self, which I had 
with thee before the world was." It was bestowed on 
him as a reward for his sufferings. (Phil. ii. ; Heb. ii.). 
Such was the sermon on this great and momentous oc- 
casion. These are the outlines or main points intro- 
duced in it. His theme was Christ from beginning to 
end ; his divine mission established by the miracles God 



2j6 Sermons. 

wrought through him ; his crucifixion, resurrection and 
exaltation to the right hand of universal dominion, his 
christhood, and power to save. 

(2) The effects produced thereby. The truth 
spoken thus simply by the man of God made an 
impression, a deep impression. "And hearing this, 
they were pricked in their heart, [pierced to the 
heart with compunction, pain, sorrow, anguish, and 
regret at what they had done], and they said to 
Peter and the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, 
what shall we do ? " Two duties are here enjoined, 
and two promises are given. The first duty is, Repent, 
reform your lives, amend your ways, change your con- 
duct, and your whole course of life. 

What is repentance? A change of mind. The 
change that is undergone in repentance is both inward 
and outward. Hence, repentance is such a change of 
mind as influences one's subsequent behavior for the 
better. The first thing involved in true repentance is 
the forsaking of sin, renouncing every evil way, aban- 
doning every wrong habit and practice. He who sins 
willfully in any respect has not repented. Reformation 
is the necessary fruit of genuine godly sorrow. The 
second thing implied in true repentance is Restitution, 
as it relates to any one whom you may have wronged. 

No restitution, no repentance — provided restitution 
can be made. The only unequivocal evidence of sin- 
cere repentance is the actual redress of the injury 
done ; not only a cessation from the sin, but a restitu- 
tion for the sin, as far as restitution can possibly be 
made. And let me proclaim it distinctly ; let no one 
forget it ; for it is a great truth, that without repent- 
ance and restitution, when possible, there can be no 



The Believing People. 277 

remission. What saith the law ? (Lev. vi.). 4 'When 
a man has sinned [has defrauded his neighbor and 
taken from him his property], and is guilty, he shall 
restore that which he took by wrong or fraud ; he shall 
even restore it in the principal, and shall add the fifth 
part more thereto as interest, and give it to him to 
whom it belongs." And having done that, i. e., hav- 
ing made restitution, having returned the property to 
its rightful owner, he was to bring his trespass offering 
to the Lord. Thus was repentance preached by 
Moses. 

But the law went into details more minute even than 
these ; for provision is made for the case in which the 
sinner could not find the person whom he had wronged. 
Suppose a man, ten years ago, defrauded his neighbor 
to the amonnt of fifty dollars. In such a case what is 
he to do ? Seek out the kinsman of the injured party, 
his legal heir, or representative, and make restitution 
to him. But suppose, again, he had no legal heir or 
kinsman ; what then was he to do ? He must recom- 
pense it to the Lord. "It was to go into the Lord's 
treasury." The principal uniformly, in all cases of 
trespass against man, was that the sinner " shall make 
amends for the harm that he hath done." No man 
may retain in his possession gains unlawfully gotten. 
What saith the gospel? Does it present a lower stan- 
dard of repentance than the law ? Under the preach- 
ing of Jesus Zaccheus repented, and what did he say ? 
r< Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the 
poor : and if I have taken anything from any man by 
false accusation I restore him fourfold." Adam Clarke, 
who, fifty years ago, was one of the most popular of 
commentators, says : "No man should expect mercy 



278 Sermons. 

at the hands of God who, having wronged his neigh- 
bor, refuses, when he has it in his power, to make res- 
titution. Were he to weep tears of blood, both the jus- 
tice and mercy of God would shut out his prayer, if 
he make not his neighbor amends for the injury he has 
done him. He is a dishonest man who illegally holds 
the property of another in his hands." Such is re- 
pentance as set forth in the law and in the gospel. 

" Be baptized." This is the second duty enjoined 
by the apostle. " Be baptized, every one of you, in the 
name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of sins." 
Baptism upon the name of Jesus Christ; i. e. y in being 
baptized, the believer is to rest upon Christ. It is also 
in the name of Christ, i. e., by his authority. It is, 
further, into the name of the Lord Christ. A sacred 
institution to which they who would enjoy the divine 
promise of remission must submit. 

The promises given by Peter in the discourse are 
two. The forgiveness of sins ; remission, pardon, 
justification in the spirit of God. The whole unprofit- 
able and unhallowed past shall be blotted out, erased 
from the book of the divine remembrance, and shall 
stand acquitted before the law and majesty of heaven. 
The second promise is the gift of the Holy Spirit. Re- 
mission is negative ; but the gift of the Spirit is posi- 
tive, the great positive blessing of the gospel. This 
divine Holy Spirit is the heritage of all God's children. 
He is with them, and in them a fountain of living 
water springing up unto everlasting life." " And with 
many other words did he exhort and testify, saying, 
Save yourselves from this crooked generation." They 
therefore who received his word were baptized." Such 
were the effects of Peter's sermon. The first fruits 



The Believing People. 279 

of the great gospel harvest were reaped and gathered 
in the conviction, conversion, baptism and salvation of 
three thousand happy souls. On the day of Pentecost 
the Church of Christ began her formal and distinct exist- 
ence in the world, an existence she has maintained from 
that time to this. There was no Church of Christ, or 
kingdom of heaven, in the New Testament sense of that 
expression, in the world before this time. From the 
beginning of John's ministry until the day of Pentecost 
the kingdom of God was approaching ; was drawing 
near ; but now it is begun ; it is established ; set up to 
stand forever. Here at Jerusalem, and on this particu- 
lar day were fulfilled the words : * ' In the days of these 
kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom." 

The word spoken by Peter on the occasion was 
the word of Jehovah : "Out of Zion shall go forth 
the law." He spoke as the Spirit gave him utter- 
ance. This fact invests his speech with marvelous 
solemnity. To reject an apostle is to reject the great 
God who sent him. 

We have here, from the lips of the ambassador of 
Christ, a proclamation of amnesty, of pardon, of sal- 
vation, of eternal life. The crowned king, through 
his inspired servant, issues his proclamation of amnesty, 
full of forgiveness to guilty men. What mercy is dis- 
played in this ! 

I would have you notice that this proclamation 
was made for all time and for all men everywhere, — 
for Jew, for Gentile, for men of every tribe, tongue 
and nationality on the face of the whole earth. And 
furcher observe, from the condition of the great pro- 
clamation here made, there was, during the apostolic 
age, no departure, none whatever. Peter's after 



280 Sermons. 

preaching to both Jew and Gentile conformed to this. 
So did Paul's ; so did that of all the apostles. From 
the first and original proclamation made by Peter on 
Pentecost there was no departure, no change, no varia- 
tion ; it was never altered, modified, nor changed to 
suit the whims, or caprices of any man. It stands 

HERE AS THE ONE LAW OF PARDON FOR THE WORLD, AND 

for ages. Let no man dare to change it, or preach 
any other conditions of salvation than those proclaimed 
by Christ's inspired ambassador. 

Now, would you enjoy what is here promised ? do 
what is here commanded ! There is no other way, no 
way of enjoyment, but obedience. "Christ is the 
author of eternal salvation to all them that obey him." 
" He that does the will of God abides forever." 



CONFESSION. 

Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him 
will I confess |also before my Father which is in heaven. 
But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also 
deny before my Father which is in heaven (Matt. x. 32, 33). 

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves n and 
the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful 
and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all 
unrighteousness (I. John i. 8, 9). 

The important and scriptural subject to which I 
invite your attention to-day is Confession, suggested 
by the two passages just read — one from the lips of 
the Great Teacher, who came from God,, and the other 
from the pen of his apostle, the beloved disciple, John 
— the confession of our sins to God, against whom we 
have sinned, and to our fellow-men in every instance 
in which we have sinned against them ; the confession 
of him who came to save us from our sins ; the confes- 
sion of faith — of a sincere and determined purpose on 
our part to live in subjection to the gospel of the 
Christ. And what I shall say will be presented under 
the following heads, or in the following order : 

First, what and whom we are to confess. Second, 
how, or the method in which we are to make our con- 
fession. Third, why, therefore, or the purpose for 
which we are to confess to God and man. What, 

WHOM, HOW, WHY? 

In grammar, the word confess is an active transitive 

verb. It is active because it expresses action ; we do 

281 



282 Sermons. 

something when we confess, or make confession. It 
is transitive because the action expressed thereby passes 
over to and terminates on an object. Now, in looking 
into the Holy Scriptures, we find that the verb con- 
fess is followed by two objects — one a thing, and the 
other a person. The thing we are to confess is sin, 
that gigantic foe of the human race, that mighty 
destroyer of souls and of human happiness. The 
person whom we are to confess is Christ Jesus, who 
came to deliver us from our sins, who was manifested 
to take away our sins, and by his wondrous grace and 
power lift us to holiness and heaven. The One to 
whom we are to confess is God, whose will we have 
disobeyed, whose laws we have transgressed, and under 
whose righteous displeasure we have come. And if 
we have injured our neighbor, in his person, pros- 
perity, or reputation, we must confess to him — first, 
our sins. "All have sinned, and come short of the 
glory of God." "There is none righteous; no, not 
one.'' "There is not a just man on earth that doeth 
good and sinneth not." Jehovah looked forth from 
heaven to see if there was any one perfect and right- 
eous before him. Our personal transgressions are 
many and varied : there are sins of thought, of word, 
and of action. Our thoughts are not always pure and 
good ; our words are often idle ; our conduct is often- 
times reprehensible. We have sins of omission and 
sins of commission. "We have left undone those 
things which we ought to have done." These sins are 
charged against us. They are written in the book 
of God's remembrance. What are we going to do 
with them ? If not forgiven, if not blotted out, if we 
are not cleansed from them, if we live on in, and die in 



Confession. 283 

sin, what will become of us ? Where will we go when 
we leave the body? Where can a guilty, unforgiven, 
condemned spirit go but to one place? Of some of 
you, it is true that not one sin you have ever com- 
mitted has been forgiven — not one. They are all 
placed to your account in the book of the divine 
remembrance. You forget them ; but yonder they 
are, opposite your name, and the dark account is 
accumulating, becoming larger and larger, and unless 
got rid of, by some means or other, they will confront 
you in the judgment of the great day. Something 
must be done. They are upon your soul ; they are 
opposite your name, and if you do nothing they will 
ruin you forevermore. What will you do with them ? 
I ask again. Confess them — make a full, free, frank 
acknowledgment of them ; and for three reasons. 
Confession is a scriptural condition of forgiveness. It 
was a condition of forgiveness under the law ; it is also 
a condition of forgiveness under the gospel. John the 
Baptist urged this duty on his hearers, and with telling 
effect ; for it is said : ' ■ Then went out to him Jerusalem 
and all Judea, and all the region round about Jordan, 
and were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their 
sins." Secondly, we should confess our sins because 
God is pleased with it. Thirdly, it is good for the soul. 
Again, we are to confess him who came to save us 
from our sins. Without a Saviour, confession would 
amount to nothing ; with a Saviour, it amounts to much. 
When sending out his twelve disciples for the first time, 
our Lord said: " Every one who shall confess me 
before men, him will I also confess before my Father 
in heaven." To confess Christ is to confess the truth 
revealed concerning him : it is to acknowledge him in 



284 Sermons. 

his relations to men, and in the great offices he fills by 
divine appointment: e. g.> the writer of the letter to 
the Hebrews says: "He is the apostle and high 
priest of our confession ; " L e. t we are to confess him 
as the great apostle of Jehovah, God, as the one sent 
forth from heaven by the Father to communicate his 
will to men, to teach all nations, to enlighten the 
world, to reveal divine and saving truth, and to unfold 
to men the character and purposes of the true God. 
We are also to confess him as our great High Priest, 
who, by his death on the cross, made full atonement 
for our sins, and who ever lives in heaven to intercede 
for us. Further, we are to confess him as our King, 
Lord, Ruler, Judge. Says the apostle: "God highly 
exalted him, and gave him a name which is above 
every name; that at the name of Jesus every knee 
shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ 
;s Lord to the glory of God the Father. His Lord- 
ship, or Kingship, is, therefore, an item in the confes- 
sion we are to make. Christ is an anointed Prophet, 
an anointed Priest, and an anointed King — a priest 
anointed to teach us the will of God, to offer himself 
up as a sacrifice for our sins, to make atonement ihere- 
for, to intercede for us in heaven, and by his priestly 
intercession impart to us divine power and heavenly 
wisdom ; an anointed King, to rule over us graciously, 
to protect and defend us, to uphold us by his mighty 
power, to deliver us at last from the dominion of death, 
and crown us with himself in the heavenly world. As 
such, and in these great offices which he fills for us, 
for our good, and on our behalf, we are to confess and 
receive him. Before Pontius Pilate he witnessed the 
good confession ; i. e. , he confessed his own kingship. 



Confession. 285 

In answer to Pilate's question he said: "I am the 
King of the Jews. My kingdom, however, is not of 
this world. It is spiritual in its beneficent aims and 
purposes ; it is founded on the rock of my own divinity ; 
it is perpetuated by the moral power of truth, not 
by the sword ; it is heavenly in all its designs ; it gives 
men citizenship in heaven, and an eternal home there. 
All this is implied and included in the confession that 
Jesus is the Christ the Son of the living God. He is 
the true Messiah, the desire of all nations, the hope of 
the world. And all the offices that he fills, his pro- 
phetical, priestly and kingly offices, yea, all others, 
spring from, grow out of, and are included in his divine 
Sonship, his Messiahship. This is the rock on which 
his kingdom is established, and on which his church 
rests ; this is the creed, the fundamental article 
of the faith of the New Testament Church, the 
one great proposition, or central truth, divinely 
revealed, which is to be believed with all the heart, 
and confessed with the mouth, in order to bap- 
tism, salvation and membership in the church. This 
glorious truth, the divine Sonship or Messiahship of 
Jesus, was first revealed to the world by Jehovah him- 
self, when at the baptism of his Son, as he rose from 
the water, he spoke out in an audible voice, saying : 
" This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. " 
Our next thought is, how, or the manner in which this 
confession is to be made. The truth in relation to 
this may be soon told. First, we must confess Christ, 
and our faith in him, publicly. Your personal sins and 
transgressions, which are known best, and perhaps only 
to yourself, you may confess in secret, in the privacy 
and retirement of the closet. Enter into thy closet, 



286 Sermons. 

shut the door, be alone with thy God, be deliberate, 
do not be in haste to come forth, think, take time for 
meditation, recollect* all thy sins, bring them in order 
before your mind, remember how many they are, how 
numerous, how aggravated some of them, your sins of 
thought, word and deed ; then realizing that you are 
in the presence of Him who knows your heart, and 
hears every word, make your confession, purposing at 
the same time to forsake every sin and to walk hence 
in the newness of life. And what a rich blessing it 
will bring to* your soul! And this you may do, ought 
to do in private. But your faith in Christ your Saviour 
and the deliberate purpose you have formed in secret, 
to forsake all sin and walk in submission to his gospel, 
you are to confess in public ; private confession is not 
sufficient ; it does not fulfill the requirement of the 
Scriptures. Our Lord says : Every one who shall con- 
fess me before men" [i. e. } publicly in the presence of 
others], " him will I also confess before my Father who 
is in heaven." Openly, without concealment, in the 
presence of our fellow-men we are to commit ourselves 
to the guidance and lordship of Jesus the Christ. 
Secondly, with the mouth we are to make our confes- 
sion. " With the heart man believeth unto righteous- 
ness, and with the mouth confession is made unto sal- 
vation." 

Why make this confession ? This is the next 
thought to which I direct your attention. With what 
end in view, for what purpose is it to be made ? That 
the blessings promised thereto may be enjoyed. These 
are, first, salvation. "This is the word of faith which 
we preach," says the apostle Paul, "that if thou con- 
fess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe 



Confession. 287 

in thy heart that God raised him from the dead, thou 
shalt be saved." 

That Christ may confess us. Our confessing him 
insures our being confessed by him. This he has 
promised. "Every one who shall confess me before 
men, him will I also confess ! " This confession secures 
the divine indwelling. " Whoever confesses that Jesus 
is the Son of God, God dwell eth in him, and he in 
God." 

This confession, of which I am speaking to you 
to-day is called " good," "the good confession." Be- 
fore many witnesses Timothy witnessed the good con- 
fession ; and before Pontius Pilate Christ Jesus wit- 
nessed the good confession. It is "good" in the 
sense of being excellent, noble, worthy, honorable. 
The making of it honors Christ and brings inestimable 
good to man. Have you made it ? Then hold it fast. 
Depart not from it. Be loyal to him whom you con- 
fessed as your Saviour and King. Abide in the great 
system of divine truth which you confessed, and see 
that the truth is abiding as a living and sanctifying 
power in you. 

There are many here to-day who have not made 
this good confession, and I appeal to you. Come and 
let us reason together. And for making this confes- 
sion there are two great motives that I present. The 
worthiness of him whom you are asked to confess, 
Christ Jesus our Lord. His worthiness ! Who can 
describe it ? Who can adequately portray it ? No 
mortal can compare with him among the sons of men. 
No creature can ever explore the treasures of goodness 
in him. He is the King of Glory, the Prince of Life, 
the man Christ Jesus, the Saviour kind and true. " He 



288 Sermons. 

is full of grace and truth," full of wisdom, knowledge, 
of divine majesty and human sympathy, of compas- 
sion, love and affection. " He is chiefest among ten 
thousand, and altogether lovely." You can not think 
of or imagine anything good, pure, gentle, kind, gra- 
cious, sympathetic, excellent, attractive, morally beauti- 
ful or majestic, that is not in Christ, and in him in per- 
fection. If one very high both in official position and 
personal character were related to you, would you be 
ashamed of him ? Would you refuse to let it be known 
that you were his friend ? Here is one who is high, 
very high in the offices he fills, and perfect in his char- 
acter. Your hopes of heaven depend on him. If you 
are ever saved it will be through him, and by his death 
for you he has placed you under everlasting obligations 
to confess him, to serve him in righteousness and holi- 
ness all the days of your life ; to love him supremely, 
and live to his honor and praise. The second motive I 
urge is the blessings promised to those who confess 
Christ. These are salvation, the forgiveness of sin, the 
pardon of all transgressions ; acknowledgment by 
Christ here and now. Upon your confessing him he 
will confess you before his Father and before the angels 
in heaven. He will see that your name is written in 
the Book of Life ; he will pronounce you forgiven ; he 
will place you under the care and guardianship of the 
holy angels ; will guide you with his eye, if faithful, to 
the rest and joy of heaven. 

Then also in the great day of final retribution, when 
robed in majesty and begirt with inconceivable splen- 
dor he comes attended by myriads of angels to judge 
the world, he will confess you, saying: "Enter into 
the joy of thy Lord." Finally, the indwelling or 



Confession. 289 

inward abiding of God during the present life. God 
most high will come to you and make his abode with 
you. Whoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of 
God, God abides in him, and he in God." Christ says: 
"I and my Father will come to him and make our 
abode with him." And he who has both the Father and 
Son not only near, and round about him as a protector, 
guide and deliverer, but in his heart as a comforting, 
strengthening, illuminating and glorifying presence, is 
well cared for, is supremely blest, and shall not want, 
either in time or eternity, for any good thing. God 
dwells in the human heart to transfigure, to transform, 
to renew into his own image, to fashion and mold after 
the pattern of Christ Jesus ; and on his moral transfor- 
mation and inward renewal man's present happiness 
and hope of future glory depend. Christ calls you. 
The angels beckon you heavenward. The spirits of 
just men made perfect, if they could speak in an audi- 
ble voice, would say : * ' Confess Christ, and delay 
not. " Ho ! every one, let this be the day of your 
consecration to Christ. This the hour of your vol- 
untary submission to the Son of God. Haste thee ! 
Come away and go with us, and all the chosen of 
God, to the better country. 



BAPTISM. 

I am to speak to you to-day in regard to an ordi- 
nance of Christ, the one great and wise lawgiver of the 
Christian dispensation, an ordinance calling for and re- 
quiring submission and obedience on the part of man 
as a positive divine institution, and, therefore, a test of 
faith and personal homage to Christ, to be submitted 
to by those who would enjoy his promise of salvation, 
and have admission to the church or kingdom of 
heaven. The religion of Christ has but few ordi- 
nances ; in this respect it is very unlike the Jewish. 
Christ our Lord did not enact many ordinances. His 
religion is simple, spiritual, and free from burden- 
some ceremonies. He puts no yoke on the neck of 
his disciples which they are unable to bear. But there 
are two ordinances enacted by Christ Jesus which are 
of vital and supreme importance, and without which 
it would be difficult, if not impossible, to conceive of 
the church as having a distinct existence in this world. 
These are, (i) baptism, which expresses these parate- 
ness or distinctness of the church from the world ; 
(2) the Lord's Supper, which expresses the unity of 
the church within itself. The one loaf of which all 
partake, sets forth the oneness of Christ's body, the 
church which he loved, and for which he gave himself 
an offering and sacrifice to God. Wherever in the 
world there are those who believe on Christ as a divine 
Saviour, who love him, trust him, and accept his re- 
ligion as divine and supernatural in its origin, you 



Baptism. 291 

find these two ordinances. They have been much mis- 
understood, misrepresented, perverted from their orig- 
inal simplicity and design, altered, modified, changed 
to suit the vain imaginations and unwise reasonings of 
men, but in all Christendom they exist in some form or 
other; and, as just intimated, you can not conceive oi 
a Church of Christ without them. To the first of these 
two Christian institutions I direct your thoughts to-day. 
And the first point I wish to make clear to your 
minds is that baptism is from heaven ; it is of God ; 
it is divine in its origin, enactment, and in the obliga- 
tion it imposes on men, and, therefore, can not be dis- 
pensed with any more than any other requirement or 
institution that God has enjoined and made obligatory 
on his people. I proceed to give you the proof for 
what I say. In the seventh chapter of Luke we read 
the following language : ' ' And all the people hearing 
it, and the publicans, justified God, having been bap- 
tized with the baptism of John" — i. e., they justified 
the wisdom of God in sending John to baptize. How, 
I ask, could they reject the counsel of God against 
themselves, in not being baptized, if baptism were not 
a part of God's counsel, a part of his revealed will ? 
John was " a man sent from God." He had a message 
and commission direct from the Most High. 

Again, it is said, " He was sent to baptize," to ad- 
minister baptism to those who repented, forsook and con- 
fessed their sins. During the last week of our Saviour's 
earthly life he was teaching the people in the temple 
and preaching the gospel. The chief priests, the 
scribes and the elders came to him, saying : " Tell us 
by what authority thou doest these things ? Or, who 
is he that gave thee this authority ? " His reply showed 



292 Sermons. 

that John's baptism was of God. When, after his 
resurrection, and just before his final ascension to glory, 
he gave his disciples their great commission, he said : 
"Go ye and teach [disciple] all the nations, baptizing 
them into the name of the Father and of the Son and 
of the Holy Spirit." 

Again, as Mark records his language, Jesus said : 
' ' Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to 
every creature ; he that believeth and is baptized shall 
be saved." This is Christian baptism enacted by the 
Lord Christ and administered in his name and by his 
authority. During the first year after the Israelites 
were redeemed from bondage in Egypt a tabernacle 
was prepared, in which Jehovah dwelt, and in the ser- 
vices of which he was worshiped. That tabernacle 
was altogether divine in its inception and construction, 
and man's ingenuity had nothing whatever to do with 
originating it. A pattern of it was given Moses on 
the mount. The entire structure, with the location 
and size of each article of furniture, was made to pass 
in vision before the mind of Moses, and the command 
was given him: "See thou make all things according 
to the pattern shown thee in the mount." It is so in 
Christianity under the new and better covenant of 
which Christ is mediator. Everything needful for us 
to know and to do, so far as salvation is concerned, is 
revealed to us by divine authority. No one knows 
what in religious matters is pleasing to God, or by 
what means or institutions God is acceptably wor- 
shiped, except as he tells us ; we can not know in any 
other way. We are dependent on revelation ; and he 
who rejects revelation does not know one iota about it. 
God is the author or institutor of his own worship. 



Baptism. 293 

He has told us how and in what ordinances he will have 
us obey and worship him ; and it is our duty, by read- 
ing and studying the Scriptures, to learn his will, and 
then in all simplicity and trust to do it. ' ' He who 
does the will of God abides forever." One part of his 
will is expressed in this ordinance, and he who from 
the heart obeys it gives evidence that he has a justify- 
ing faith; "his faith in Christ is counted to him for 
righteousness. " I now give you an example of scrip- 
tural baptism. God, in great condescension to our 
weakness and dullness of apprehension in spiritual 
things, teaches us not only by jprecept, but by ex- 
ample, to make the path of duty doubly plain to us, 
and to leave us without excuse ; especially does he 
teach us by the example of his Son Jesus Christ our 
Lord, of whose baptism the sacred writers give us a 
particular account. Let us suppose you are a teacher. 
You are giving instruction in arithmetic, and that part 
of arithmetic called interest. The principal, rate per 
cent, and time are given, and it is required to compute 
the interest. The subject is new to your pupils, and 
they have some difficulty in understanding it. You go 
to the blackboard and work out a problem before their 
eyes, and explain the whole process step by step till 
they comprehend it. You then say : " Every example 
involving those conditions is solved in precisely that 
way. Understanding one, you can solve all." 

Now, there is one baptism, we are told by an apos- 
tle. " One baptism " for all the world, and for all be- 
lievers in all ages ; and that we may know what that 
baptism is, how it is to be administered, who may be 
baptized, and the design thereof, God gives us ex- 
amples, illustrations, placing them before our eyes on 



294 Sermons. 

the pages of his word, that we may not err, but know 
the whole truth. And the example to which I am 
about to refer, if carefully studied, will teach all who 
know concerning baptism, and if you conform to those 
examples you can not possibly go astray. 

Our Saviour is at Nazareth, where he had been 
brought up. He is thirty years of age. The time 
draws near for his manifestation to Israel and entrance 
upon his public ministry. For six months John has 
been preaching in Judea and the region round about 
the Jordan. His voice sounded like a trumpet through 
the land, summoning the people to repentance. His 
preaching made a deep impression. Many thousands, 
who had heard, were convicted of sin, repented, came 
to him, and were baptized by him in the Jordan, con- 
fessing their sins. Jesus leaves Nazareth, sixty miles 
distant from the place where John was baptizing. 
Most probably he walks and is alone. It takes him 
from two to three days to perform the journey. He 
travels a little to the east of south. Night having 
come, he seeks shelter and rest in some humble home 
by the wayside. In the morning he pursues his jour- 
ney. Nothing is allowed to turn him aside. He has 
his mind fixed on one thing. He has a distinct pur- 
pose in view in that journey. He is going to the Jor- 
dan where John is to be baptized. Baptism is the one 
purpose for which he was going that long distance. 
Do you think this ordinance can be, in the divine esti- 
mation, of little importance when the world's Saviour 
would travel so far to submit to it ? 

At length the tedious and wearisome journey is 
ended ; the Son of God is standing on the bank of the 
river Jordan, presenting himself a candidate for baptism 



Baptism. 295 

at the hands of his own harbinger. An interesting 
colloquy ensues. John forbade him, L e. t sought to 
hinder him, saying: " I have need to be baptized by 
thee, and comest thou to me ? " How are we to under- 
stand this? John undoubtedly knew Jesus as his 
cousin (their mothers were full cousins), knew him as'a 
pure, most estimable and excellent young man; and as 
genuine goodness is always modest, he felt his own 
inferiority ; hence his language : ' 1 1 am not worthy to 
baptize thee." Yet John says twice: "I knew 1 him 
not," which must mean that before his baptism he did 
not know that Jesus was the Messiah, whose harbinger 
he himself was. ^He knew him as his own cousin, and 
a young man of unexampled purity and worth, but 
not as the world's Redeemer, for as such he had not 
yet been manifested ; but it was said to John : " Upon 
whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and remain- 
ing, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy 
Ghost. " Jesus urged his claim for baptism, and gives a 
reason. " Permit it now ; for thus it becomes us to ful- 
fill all righteousness, " i. e. t to obey every institution of 
God. * * I came down out of heaven to do the will 
of my Father. I delight to do his will ; yea, his law is 
within my heart. " Then side by side, with calm step and 
majestic demeanor, they walked down into the water, 
and John baptized Jesus. The solemn act is performed. 
He whom angels praise is buried in baptism. " And 
Jesus, having been baptized, went up straightway out 
of the water," when, lo, what a scene ! One unparal- 
leled in the history of the world ! As he was about to 
step on the shore the heavens were opened to him, 
the skies above his head were parted, and he saw, and 
John saw, and the people standing around saw the 



296 Sermons. 

Spirit of God descending out of the Holy of Holies in 
a bodily shape as a dove, and coming upon him. 
But that is not all. The glorious scene is not yet fin- 
ished. "Lo, a voice out of heaven, saying, This is 
my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." The 
voice heard was a lesson to the ear ; the Spirit descend- 
ing in a bodily shape was a lesson to the eye. On the 
authority of the great Jehovah, and because of a 
special revelation from him, we receive Jesus as his be- 
loved Son and our Saviour. 

Our faith rests on the immutable word of the great 
God. How unspeakably simple, sublime, grand, glori- 
ous, majestic is all this ! How worthy of the greatest 
of the prophets ! How worthy of the Messiah ! How 
worthy of the Almighty Father! Every thing is in 
keeping with the dignity and solemnity of the occa- 
sion. I confess to you, my hearers, I never think of 
our Saviour's baptism or read the simple narrative 
without being stirred, and having emotions of delight, 
wonder and gratitude awakened in my soul. On this 
occasion and by his baptism our Lord was inducted 
into his prophetical office, or installed in his Messianic 
mission ; and the event being one of supreme . impor- 
tance there was a manifestation of the whole Divinity, 
of the entire Godhead. His Son was baptized ; the 
Spirit came in a bodily form as a dove upon him ; the 
Father publicly recognized and proclaimed him to the 
world as his beloved Son. How important the occasion ! 
How grand and impressive the scene ! Was our Sav- 
iour immersed? Without a doubt he was. I have 
now shown you two things. (1) That baptism is a di- 
vine institution, an ordinance of God's own appoint- 
ment. (2) By the example of the Saviour T have 



Baptism. 297 

shown you how God would have you baptized. He is 
our one great exemplar, our model, our pattern. Fol- 
low him ; walk in his steps ; imitate his example, and 
you will make no mistake, and can not possibly go 
astray. And I assure you the example of Christ is 
more to me than all the wisdom of this world. Bap- 
tism marks the follower of Christ from one who is not 
his follower. It is also initiatory ; it inducts into the 
church or kingdom of Heaven. I quote to you two or 
three sentences from the author of " Ecce Homo, " a 
work which excited a good deal of attention in the re- 
ligious world ten or fifteen years ago. li It was neces- 
sary that some mark should be devised by which the 
follower of Christ might be distinguished, and by con- 
senting to bear which he might give proof of his 
loyalty. Some initiatory rite was necessary, some pub- 
lic formality in which the new volunteer might take 
oath, as it were, the military oath, and confess his chief 
before men. If such a ceremony could be devised, 
which should at the same time indicate that the new 
votary had taken upon himself not merely a new ser- 
vice, but an entirely new mode of life, it would be so 
much the better. " Such is baptism. The words just 
quoted well express one of its offices or functions. It 
tests the loyalty of man and his readiness to be known 
by his Master's name. 

Our Lord and Saviour gave his disciples two dis- 
tinct commissions, the first before, and the second after 
his resurrection. The first of these commissions is 
found in the tenth chapter of Matthew, and was given 
immediately after the selection of the twelve disciples, 
(whom he named also apostles). The second is 
found in the twenty-eighth chapter of Matthew; 



298 Sermons. 

those solemn, sacred and most impressive words ^that 
fell from the lips of the great Redeemer at the precise 
time of his leaving this world to ascend to heaven, 
and be crowned with glory and honor. These com- 
missions differ in their scope, in the extent of terri- 
tory embraced within them, and in the nature of the 
proclamation to be made. 

In the great commission, that one which is world- 
embracing in its provisions, there is first a statement 
as to the authority by which the 'duties in it are en- 
joined. Jesus came to the disciples at the mountain in 
Galilee where he had appointed to meet them, and 
spoke to them, saying: " All power [rather authority, 
or moral power, the right to command, to enact laws 
for his kingdom, to legislate for his church] is given 
unto me." 

How extensive is this authority ! It is, indeed, 
without limit or bound. It extends to this earth's re- 
motest part ; nay, further, to the utmost verge of the 
creation, and to all intelligences in the universe. 
"Angels, authorities and powers are subject to him." 
In the presence of one clothed with such authority 
weak man may well fear and tremble. Respect for the 
authority of Christ lies at the foundation of the Chris- 
tian life and character. The command is given : Go ; 
go forth everywhere ; go into all the world. Disciple, 
make disciples, instruct or train in discipleship, all the 
nations. 

Baptism is enjoined, and its transitional nature or 
character is asserted. ' ' Baptizing them into the name 
of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." 
Who may be baptized ? No unbeliever may. Again, 
no impenitent one may be baptized. This ordinance is 



Baptism. 299 

not for either of these. Further, no one who is unwill- 
ing to confess his sins and confess Christ before men 
may come to baptism. It is for penitent believers, for 
those who publicly confess Christ, who believe on him 
with all the heart, who trust to him their whole salva- 
tion, who wish to be good and do good, and win the 
home in heaven. 

And when in this state of mind they go forward 
and are baptized, they are richly blessed in their obedi- 
ence. It is a crisis or epoch in their history which will 
never be and ought never to be forgotten. I wish now 
to fix your attention on this thought, viz. , the transi- 
tional character or nature of the ordinance of baptism. 
And transition means change, or passage out of one 
state or condition into another. I desire to show you 
that in, through, and by means of baptism the true 
penitent believer passes out of one state into another ; 
passes into a new society, comes under a new author- 
ity, and his relation to the world, the church and 
the whole Trinity, the Father, Son and Spirit, is 
changed. Imagine a blackboard before you. Your eye 
is resting on it. With chalk I draw a perpendicular 
line from top to bottom, dividing it into two equal 
parts. On the left of that line I write the word, first, 
Faith ; secondly, and underneath it, Repentance ; third- 
ly, and underneath it, Confession ; fourthly, and under- 
neath it, Baptism. Right opposite the word Bap- 
ism, and across the line, I write the word into. And I 
ask, into what and into whom is this penitent believer 
who confesses Christ baptized? What shall I write 
on the right hand side of the line ? Of course there 
is only one book that tells us, the New Testament. 
The word baptize is followed by the preposition into, 



3<do Sermons. 

and into is followed by several objects showing a change 
of relation in regard to all those objects. 

(i) The remission of sins. (Acts ii. 38). If you 
are baptized into the remission of sins, is not your 
relation to sin thereby changed ? It certainly is. 

(2) He is baptized into the Church. (I. Corinthians 
xii. 13). "By one Spirit we were all baptized into one 
body." What is the one body? It is the Church. 
Well, if we are baptized into the Church, were we in 
it before our baptism ? It is rightly taught that the 
baptized are in the Church, and members of it, and 
they are not members until they are baptized. 

(3) But further, I put down on the right of the line, 
the death of Christ, into which we are said to be bap- 
tized. (Romans vi. 3, 4). " Know ye not that so 
many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were 
baptized into his death ? Therefore we were buried 
with him by baptism into death." It is taught that 
we have redemption, the remission of our sins, through 
Christ's blood or death. We wash our robes and make 
them white in the blood of the Lamb. But Christ's 
death alone saves no one. It never did, and it never 
will. The sinner must himself come into that state, 
condition, position and obedience in which the death 
or blood of Christ will be effective for the cleansing 
away of his sins; and he meets, comes to Christ's 
blood, in the sacred ordinance he has appointed for 
that purpose. Hence, we are baptized into his death, 
into a likeness or conformity thereto, so that it be- 
comes available or efficacious for our redemption. 

(4) The kingdom of heaven. Into this the be- 
liever is baptized. Through baptism (not through it 
alone, but when preceded by these other things of 



Baptism. 301 

which I have spoken, and on the necessity of which I 
always insist) our relation to the kingdom of heaven 
is changed ; we become citizens therein, and enjoy 
all its blessings and privileges. (John iii. 5). Jesus 
said to Nicodemus : ' * Verily, verily, I say unto thee, 
except a man be born of water and the Spirit he can 
not enter into the kingdom of God." I now pass to 
the highest and most sacred of all the thoughts relat- 
ing to this part of the subject. I mean the Trinity, 
the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, into whose awful and 
adorable names the believer is baptized. The Great 
Teacher himself is our authority for this assertion. 
When instituting the ordinance of baptism he said : 
" Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing 
them into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and 
of the Holy Spirit," i.e., in baptism we come into 
union, association and fellowship with the great and 
adorable Three, and our relation to them is different 
from what it was before. How significant is this in- 
stitution ! How impressive that scene, and that hour 
when the trusting disciple is baptized into the Father, 
the Son and the Divine Spirit ! Henceforth, abide 
in the Father and in the Son and in the Spirit till 
death, and you will be received up into glory. 

I have thus shown you what baptism does ; how it 
changes his relation to sin, to the Church, to our 
Saviour's death, to the kingdom of heaven, to the 
Father, Son and Holy Spirit. What an institution ! 
Do you revere it as you should? Before closing, 
I wish to show you by a scriptural example what 
baptism is. 

There is but one baptism in the New Testament 
that is recorded so minutely, with such detail as the 



302 Sermons. 

baptism of the Redeemer ; and that, evidently, to show 
us that in New Testament times all baptisms con- 
formed to his. I refer to the Ethiopian, of whose bap- 
tism a minute and particular account is given in the 
eighth chapter of Acts. In regard to this man's bap- 
tism there are several things I request you to notice. 
They came to the water. They went down into it, 
both Philip and the eunuch. While in the water the 
baptism was administered. They came up out of the 
water. To give divine sanction to the whole proceed- 
ing a miracle was wrought. " The Spirit of the Lord 
caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no 
more." I leave the subject with you. 



THE LORD'S SUPPER. 

For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye 
do show the Lord's death till he come. (I. Corinthians xi. 26) . 

The Lord's Supper, which we observe in com- 
memoration of our Saviour's death, is a divine institu- 
tion, an ordinance appointed by the Head of the 
Christian Church, who was invested by the Father 
with supreme authority to legislate in the kingdom of 
heaven. It is a sacred ordinance, the faithful, regular 
and conscientious observance of which, as a part of the 
public worship of God, is obligatory on all Christ's 
disciples. It is an announcement, publication, procla- 
mation or preaching of our Lord's death until he per- 
sonally comes again to this world. I think it proper 
and even necessary that we should study this lesson ; 
therefore of it, and the truth revealed respecting it, I 
speak to you to-day. Notice the time of its appoint- 
ment. It was in the month Nisan, which corresponds 
to the last few days of our March and the first part of 
April. It was the fifteenth day of that month, in the 
evening, probably about 9 o'clock, the same night in 
which he was betrayed. The last authorized paschal 
supper had just been eaten. He had washed the feet 
of his disciples ; both by word and example he had re- 
buked them for the unseemly strife that had arisen'among 
them; he was about to go forth with them to the 
Garden of Gethsemane, which was on the western 

slope of the Mount of Olives ; Judas had gone out to 

303 



304 Sermons. 

complete the preparations for his betrayal ; the agony 
of the garden was just before him ; the shadows of the 
cross were already gathering ; he was to be arrested 
and taken before the high priest and Pontius Pilate ; he 
was to be cruelly treated, mocked, buffeted, scourged, 
spit upon, and the next day crucified as a malefactor 
between two thieves ; the eleven were with him ; under 
these deeply solemn circumstances, with wonderful 
calmness and self-possession, he instituted an ordinance 
which has been observed throughout the whole Chris- 
tian world for nearly nineteen hundred years, and 
which will continue to be observed until the conclusion 
of this age. Consider, in the next place, that it is an 
institution of divine appointment. It is not a human 
enactment, but a divine ordination. The Christ, the 
King of glory, the Lord of all, who has all power and 
authority, into whose hand the Father gave all things, 
is the ordainer, the appointer ; and, therefore, he who 
rejects this rejects the authority of Him who is exalted 
above all kings and nations. Think of the wisdom of 
Him who appointed this. He is wise, merciful, full of 
grace and truth ; He knows all our need, our weakness 
and frailty, and how necessary it is that we should have 
something that appeals to our senses to aid us in re- 
membering Him to whom we owe our redemption. 

What is the Lord's Supper ? 

I. A memorial, i. e. t it serves to keep in our re- 
membrance the great fact of Christ's death for our sins. 
It calls vividly to our remembrance the death of the 
world's Redeemer. In their account of the institution 
of the Supper, both the evangelist Luke and the apostle 
Paul tell us that Jesus said concerning both the loaf 
and the cup : *' This do in remembrance of me. " 



The Lord's Supper. 305 

2. The Lord's Supper is a sign or symbol \ i. e., of 
our union, fellowship and association with Him in 
heaven, in the kingdom of glory. I learn this from 
Christ's own words. He said to his disciples : ' ■ Verily, 
I say to you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit 
of the vine until I drink it anew in my Father's king- 
dom." Eating and drinking, especially in oriental 
countries, was a symbol of friendliness, union and fel- 
lowship. Some may say that the kingdom to which 
our Lord refers in the words just quoted is the kingdom 
that now is, the kingdom of grace, in which all true 
believers are. But I think not. The present king- 
dom, the one inaugurated on the day of Pentecost, and 
which is still in existence, is the kingdom of Christ. 
The prophet Daniel says: " There was given him 
dominion and glory and a kingdom. " And the apostle 
speaks of the kingdom of God's dear Son. 

3. The Lord's Supper is a communion (I. Corinth- 
ians x. 16). "The cup of blessing is the communion 
or joint participation in Christ, our living and glorious 
head. We share with Christ in all the blessings of his 
eternal redemption. We partake of his divine nature, 
of the everlasting life that is in him, and appropiate the 
mercy and salvation he has procured for us. 

4. The Lord's Supper is a feast, or the Christian 
Passover (I. Corinthians v. 8.) The apostle says: 
1 ' The Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us ; 
therefore let us keep the feast." This institution is the 
antitype of the Jewish Passover. That commemorated 
the salvation of the Israelites from bondage in Egypt ; 
this, the salvation of sinners by the passion and death 
of the Son of God. 

The wisdom, love and goodness of our great De- 



306 Sermons. 

liverer are expressed in this ordinance. In the words of 
institution he uses several commands, saying: "Take, 
eat, do this in remembrance of me." We must obey 
our Lord. We must do just what he bids us. Con- 
sider, again, the terms applied to this ordinance. It is 
called the Eucharist, from a Greek word which signi- 
fies thanksgiving, or thankfulness. Both the evangel- 
ist Luke and the apostle Paul say that when Jesus took 
into his hands the loaf, he gave thanks — he offered 
thanksgiving to God, and from the meaning of that 
word in the original is the name Eucharist. Again, 
our Lord broke the loaf in his hands, and from that act 
was derived the peculiar title of the ordinance in the 
early church, "the breaking of the loaf. " The prim- 
itive disciples came together on the first day of the 
week to break bread. It is designated as the commun- 
ion. (I. Corinthians x. 16.) "The cup of blessing 
which we bless ; is it not the communion of the blood 
of Christ ?" In this institution we have communion 
with Christ, our living and glorious Head. We share 
with hrm in all the blessings of his eternal redemption, 
and, therefore, it is called a communion— a joint partici- 
pation in the body and blood of Christ. 

It is termed the Lord's Supper, because instituted 
in the evening and appointed by the Lord of glory. It 
is eaten for the express purpose of doing honor to Him 
who purchased us with his own blood. The elements 
used in its observance are two : bread, the staff of life ; 
and wine, the juice of the grape, the fruit of the vine. 
Of the bread, our Saviour said: "This is my body, 
which is given [or broken] for you." That is, this 
represents my body. It is the sign or emblem ol ilk 
After Christ's blessing, the bread was not changed m 



The Lord's Supper. 307 

substance or quantity or quality, but simply in use 
or design. 

The Roman Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation 
is, I think, without foundation. There are many pas- 
sages in which the copula, or verb to be, or are, as it is 
in the plural, must be understood in the sense I have 
explained — e. g.> " The seven fat kine are seven 
years of plenty." So in this case. The loaf is an 
emblem or figurative representation of my body which 
I give for the life of the world. You will remember 
that our Lord said before this, in his conversation 
with the Jews concerning the true bread from heaven : 
"The bread of God is he who comes down from 
heaven." "I am the bread of life." "This is the 
bread which cometh down." Out of Christ's death 
springs the life of the world. And you see what and 
how much depends on eating him, the living bread, 
which came down out of heaven — salvation, eternal 
life, the indwelling presence of Christ, and the hope 
of the resurrection to immortal glory at the last day. 

Of the fruit of the vine in the cup, our Redeemer 
said : ' ' This is my blood of the new covenant, which 
is shed for many, in order to the remission of sins." 
What is the new covenant, of which Christ's blood is 
the confirmation or ratification ? What is guaranteed 
to us in it ? What blessings are promised ? God made 
a covenant with Noah, another with Abraham, another 
with the Jewish nation, after the redemption from 
bondage in Egypt. And through the prophet Jeremiah 
he promised that he would abolish that old covenant 
and establish a new and better covenant ; one estab- 
lished on better promises, and guaranteeing far richer 
blessings. It is to this covenant that our Saviour re- 



308 Sermons. 

fers. What is it? Where shall we find it? What are 
its provisions? " Behold, the days come, saith Jeho- 
vah, that I will make with the house of Israel and with 
the house of Judah," etc. The Christ abolished the 
old covenant by fulfilling it, and took it out of the way 
that he might establish the second, the provisions of 
which, or the blessings promised in which, are these : 
The law of God written on the heart ; not on tables of 
stone, but on the human heart ; not with a pen of iron, 
but by the Spirit of the living God ; knowledge of God 
and of his Messiah ; remission of sins, full forgiveness ; 
all past offenses, transgressions and iniquities blotted 
out and remembered no more ; divine guidance through- 
out life's journey, and in the end, everlasting blessed- 
ness. These are the better promises of the new coven- 
ant ; these the greater and richer blessings guaranteed 
therein to believers. Christ's blood, shed in his death, 
is the ratification or confirmation of this covenant, 
which is sure and wisely ordered in all things. 

It is quite common among men to celebrate, by ap- 
propriate services, and oftentimes by festivities, the 
birth of distinguished persons. The Scotchmen of 
this city celebrate, I believe, every anniversary of the 
birth of Robert Burns. The eighth of December and 
the twenty-third of April are well known and remem- 
bered as the birth days of John Milton and William 
Shakspeare. A few months ago the centennial of the 
birth of Daniel Webster was observed. Washington's 
birthday ^'s a holiday all over this country. But this is 
the only instance on record, and in all history, so far as 
is known to me, in which the death of a man is com- 
memorated by an ordinance or institution expressly 
appointed for that purpose. But such is the fact, and 



The Lord's Supper. 309 

it must be because the fact itself is, in the divine esti- 
mation, of supreme importance in the redemption of 
the world. The philosophy of the atonement, or the 
nature of the connection between Christ's passion or 
suffering, which culminated and found its highest ex- 
pression in his death on the cross, I can not explain to 
you. It is a subject too deep and profound for human 
intellect to fathom ; in view of it, we love and wonder 
and adore. But I do know that the atonement made 
for man's sin and transgression by the passion of our 
Lord is the central truth of the Bible. Indeed, with- 
out it we would have no Bible ; it pervades and vital- 
izes the whole inspired volume, and is the central fact 
in all history. Without the shedding of blood there is 
no remission. He was a man of sorrows, and ac- 
quainted with grief. He was wounded for our trans- 
gressions and bruised for our iniquities ; the chastise- 
ment of our peace was upon him, and by his stripes 
we are healed. Jehovah laid on him the iniquities of 
us all. He is the Lamb of God that bears away the 
sin of the world. Yes, Christ's death is the great pro- 
curing cause of our salvation. Had he not come and 
died, we never could have been saved. There was but 
one way in which it was possible for the sinner to be 
delivered. That was by the Son of God becoming his 
surety, ransom, and a propitiation for his sins ; and to 
reject Christ as the sinner's only deliverer, to turn away 
from his death as an expiation for the sin of the soul, 
to think lightly of it, not to be subdued by it and 
melted into penitence on account of it, will drown man 
in destruction and perdition. The death of Christ, ac- 
cording to scripture teaching, is certainly sacrificial ; it 
is a true and real sacrifice for sin. There is no other; 



310 Sermons. 

there never has been another ; there never will be any 
other ; it is the only remedy provided for our deliver- 
ance; there was no other possible means by which 
man could be lifted out of sin into holiness, out of 
death into life, out of darkness into light, and out of 
hell into heaven. Therefore, in the estimation of Him 
who is infinitely wise, it is meet that this great funda- 
mental fact in the history of our redemption should be 
commemorated in an institution appointed especially 
for that purpose. Great events in the history of the 
Jewish nation were commemorated by appropriate 
services and feasts, which kept alive in the minds of 
the people the remembrance of them and their special 
significance: e. g. y the salvation of the Israelites 
from servitude in Egypt was commemorated by a feast 
expressly appointed for the purpose, called the Feast of 
Unleavened Bread, which lasted for seven days from the 
fourteenth day of the first month at evening, to the 
twenty-first day of the same month at evening, the be- 
ginning of which feast was the eating of the paschal 
supper in the evening of the fifteenth day. This feast 
was observed every year, and at the same time of the 
year, for fifteen centuries. Jesus observed it with his 
disciples. It commemorated a great fact in the history 
of the chosen people — their deliverance from bondage 
in a foreign land. It was the fulfillment of a prophecy 
and promise given four hundred and thirty years be- 
fore. And it was said to the people: "When you 
shall have come into the land which Jehovah will give 
you, according as he has promised, you shall keep this 
service. And it shall come to pass when your children 
shall say to you, ' What mean ye by this service ? ' that 
you shall say, 'It is the sacrifice of the Lord's pass- 



The Lord's Supper. 311 

over, who passed over the houses of the children of 
Israel in Egypt when he smote the Egyptians and de- 
livered our houses.'" Fifty days afterward the law 
was given on Sinai, amid thunderings and lightnings 
that terrified the people. This was called to mind by 
an annual feast named the Feast of Pentecost. Forty 
years later the people passed over the river Jordan on 
dry ground. Jehovah dried up the waters of the river 
from before them, so that they stood firm on dry 
ground in the midst of the stream. That was an ex- 
hibition of mighty power on the part of Jehovah. 
Twelve men selected by Joshua went down into the 
bed of the river, picked up twelve stones, and, carry- 
ing them forth, set them up in Gilgal, on the west bank 
of the Jordan, and those stones were for a memorial to 
the children of Israel forever. Future generations 
could look upon them and say, ' ' These are a standing 
proof of the miraculous passage of our fathers over 
the river Jordan." 'Twas great to speak a world from 
naught; great to create the heavens and the earth; 
great to deliver a weak and enslaved people from bond- 
age ; great to stop the flowing waters of the Jordan 
and cause them to stand still ; but greater yet by far 
to redeem a world from sin and death. How appro- 
priate and fitting that this greatest of all facts in history 
should be commemorated by an ordinance appointed 
for the very purpose? And when your children and 
others ask, " What mean ye by this service ? " you are 
to say, "It is monumental ; memorial in its nature and 
character ; it serves to keep in remembrance the death 
of the Son of God, by which life is given to the world. " 
What do we by keeping this ordinance ? What 
benefits do we derive from it? We proclaim Christ's 



3 1 2 Sermons. 

death; we hold up and announce the great sacrifice 
once for all offered for the sins of men. In the words 
of my text, we preach, proclaim, publish the Lord's 
death. We have communion with Christ in this or- 
dinance — fellowship, joint participation- We share 
with him in all the benefits and blessings he has pro- 
cured for us — salvation, life, peace and hope. As a 
consequence of this, we receive strength, might, 
power, help for the trials and conflicts of life. What- 
ever brings us into fellowship, union and communion 
with the personal Saviour, brings us into oneness 
with the fountain of life, the source of strength, wis- 
dom and power, and endues us with heavenly might. 
In other words, grace is given through this institution 
to the believing, trusting heart. As to the frequency 
with which this ordinance is to be observed, we learn 
this from the practice of the primitive disciples and the 
history of the early church. (Acts ii. 42). "They con- 
tinued steadfastly in the apostles' teaching and fellow- 
ship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers " (Acts 
xx. 7). The disciples came together on the first day 
of the week to break bread. It is admitted — expressly 
stated — by church historians and those acquainted with 
the worship of the early church, that weekly commun- 
ion in the supper was universal. It was deemed essen- 
tial to the right sanctification of the Lord's day. They 
partook of the simple meal in memory of a Saviour 
crucified for them. The tendency to-day among all 
Protestant denominations is toward a more frequent 
observance of the Lord's Supper. This is right. After 
long wandering and many departures, the church is 
slowly coming back to primitive ground and the prac- 
tice of the apostolic church. We have taken the lead 



The Lord's Supper. 313 

in this movement of a return to New Testament Chris- 
tianity, and are glad to see any and all indications 
of approach to the oneness of apostolic faith and prac- 
tice. In our churches in this country, in Canada, in 
Great Britain, in Australia, and in all our mission fields, 
this ordinance is observed in memory of our Saviour's 
love. 

In conclusion, I exhort you all to faithfulness in 
the performance of this duty and in the enjoyment of 
this privilege ; for you should look upon it as a privil- 
ege rather than as a duty. Be conscientious in regard 
to this. Neglect not to show your personal interest in 
Christ at every opportunity and on every fitting oc- 
casion. Do not turn your back on that institution 
which shows forth your Saviour's death for you. 
Young Christians especially are apt to think this a sub- 
ject of little importance, but I assure you it is not. 
One of the first outward symptoms or indications of 
religious decay and backsliding is carelessness about 
coming to the Lord's table. Beware of that careless- 
ness. Why, if some distinguished personage, the 
president of the United States, or a king or queen of 
the old world, would invite you to a feast, would you 
refuse to go ? But whose table is this ? The table of 
the King of Glory, the Prince of Life, who gave him- 
self a ransom for you. In the earlier stages of the 
Christian life, and by young, immature Christians, too 
low an estimate is placed upon this ordinance. But 
as we grow older, become more spiritual, more fit for 
heaven, more like the Master, we attach more and 
more importance to it, and derive more and more bene- 
fit from it. There is coming to us all a time when we 
shall die ; weaker and weaker, more and more faint we 



314 Sermons. 

shall become ; earthly things will fade from our vision ; 
we must leave our home, our friends, our wealth, be 
carried out a corpse, and enter upon that journey from 
which no traveler returns. This world, our earthly 
ambitions, plans and hopes will all seem very small to 
us then ; nothing whatever in that hour can comfort us 
but the presence of Christ and the hope of heaven. 
Everything else will seem utterly worthless. But to 
know that we have loved the Lord Jesus Christ and 
served him, and trusted him, and kept his command- 
ments, and have been devoted to him, and have shown 
forth his death in the ordinance of his own appoint- 
ment, this will give us courage, strength in weakness, 
and hope in the hour and article of death. 



SCRIPTURAL ELECTION. 

Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make 
your calling and election sure ; for if ye do these things, ye 
shall never fail. (II. Peter i. 10). 

In the Scriptures of divine truth, which, an apostle 
affirms, are able to make us wise unto salvation, three 
great elections are spoken of, set forth and distinctly 
brought to our notice. The first is past, ages since ; 
the second is now taking place ; the third is yet in the 
future. The first was national, the election of the 
Jewish nation to be the covenant people of God, the 
keepers of the sacred oracles, and to stand in a peculiar 
relation to Jehovah and his public servants. 

The second election is personal and spiritual — 
the call through the gospel, the choosing or election of 
individual believers out of all nations to be the Church 
of Christ, to be his inheritance, and to constitute the 
kingdom of heaven on earth. 

The third great election is individual and eternal ; 
it will constitute the highest and final election — the 
election of faithful, obedient, and established believers 
to eternal life, to everlasting glory in the future king- 
dom of heaven, in which all is incorruptible, immortal 
and spiritual. Their spirits will be emancipated 
from hades, their bodies redeemed from the grave, 
and glorified with Christ, they will be made perfectly- 
happy in the immediate presence of God. It is not 

my purpose to argue this question to-day, or to show 

315 



316 Sermons. 

at length that this is a scriptural generalization on the 
subject of election ; but simply to show or state the 
conclusions to which an exhaustive study of the sub- 
ject, as set forth in the Scriptures, will lead one, and 
pass to the utterance of thoughts relating to the prepa- 
ration necessary for the eternal election. Bible election 
began with Abram, who was chosen to be the founder 
of a great nation, to whom promises were given, and 
with whom covenants were made, and it will end at 
Christ's second advent to judgment, in the election of 
those who have become established in righteousness, 
goodness, love, truth, and in their obedience to the 
divine will — the election of all such to eternal life, 
"when the volume of human history shall be sealed 
up and delivered to the omnipotent Judge." And 
this election thus beginning, and thus ending, is four- 
fold, (i) Patriarchial election. (2) Jewish, or national 
election. (3) New Testament, or Christian election. 
(4) Eternal election. The election of the patriarchs, 
not to eternal life, but for a peculiar people ; in other 
words, the Jewish nation, including Abraham, its 
founder, were the first election. The Christian Church, 
embracing believers of all nations, forms the second 
election. While they who continue faithful until 
death, and are counted worthy of a better resurrection, 
shall constitute the highest and final election. Note 
these important distinctions between these three elec- 
tions. The first was based upon a qualification of 
flesh, as children of Abraham ; the second upon a 
confession of faith in Jesus as the Lord Messiah ; and 
the last rests upon character. Flesh, faith, character — 
these three, as the basis of the three great elections. 
The first and second elections were entirely of grace, 



Scriptural Election. 317 

or the divine benignity. God took a whole nation, 
without respect to the character of its individual mem- 
bers, under his protection, gave them laws and institu- 
tions ; and our present salvation in the Church on 
earth from error, sin and guilt, is of grace. ' * By 
grace are ye saved through faith." But the last great 
election, which will take place when the King shall come 
with his attending angels — when the heavens will be 
shaken, and the earth baptized in fire, when the sleep- 
ing dead shall rise to judgment, and he shall separate 
men from each other as a shepherd divideth his sheep 
from the goats, when the destiny of all men shall be 
finally settled — that election rests entirely upon the 
character men have formed during the present life, and 
by means of the helps furnished in the gospel. Your 
character determines your future destiny. Do not for- 
get that. This is the election the apostle has before 
his mind in the words of my text, and which he ex- 
horts us to make sure, certain, undoubted, by the 
diligent cultivation of all Christian virtues. There is a 
present or Christian election of all the members of 
the Church of Christ to the privileges and blessings of 
the gospel here and now ; there is also a future and 
eternal decision of their state, depending on the char- 
acters they are forming here, and the lives they live 
here. Christ teaches this; Paul teaches this; Peter 
teaches this ; it is the unvarying doctrine of the Bible, 
that " every man shall be judged according to his 
works ; *' that God will judge the world in righteous- 
ness by Jesus Christ according to the gospel." 
' ' They that have done good shall rise to the resurrec- 
tion of life ; they that have done evil, to the resur- 
rection of condemnation." Therefore, by the use of 



318 Sermons. 

diligence, by adding to our faith courage, knowledge, 
self-control, godliness and all other graces, we will make 
our calling and election sure ; it will be certain to re- 
sult in the great object God had in view in bestowing 
on us these present privileges ; our election will be con- 
firmed and pass in the eternal state ; we will be exalted 
to glory eternal with Christ. But if our present privi- 
leges are misused and these virtues left uncultivated, 
our election will be disannulled, our names blotted out 
of the book of life, and our high advantages be a means 
of increasing our future punishment. This is just; 
this is right ; this is in accordance with every princi- 
ple of justice, human and divine. After the awful 
dicisions of that great day, no man or angel will have 
reason to accuse Jehovah of injustice ; for "the Judge 
of all the earth will do right." Having thus tried to 
show you what the election is of which St. Peter 
speaks in the text, and the importance of making it 
sure, I now proceed to mention some things by doing 
which you will not fail of election to eternal life. Re- 
member, this election does not depend on bringing into 
view some secret, eternal decree which fixed your fate 
before you were born ; nay, it depends on the character 
you form here and now ; and, of course, the character 
essential to our election to everlasting glory is sketched 
in the verses immediately preceding the words of my 
text — a passage which every disciple should read often, 
study, ponder, meditate on, that he may know 
whether he is, indeed, forming this character ; whether 
these things are in him and abounding ; i. e. f whether 
they are becoming more and more controlling in his 
life or not. I briefly mention a few things by doing 
which you will surely form this character. 



Scriptural Election. 319 

(1) Aim high. Let your purposes and aims all be in 
accord with your profession. You have been saved with 
a great salvation, redeemed with a great redemption, 
called with a high, holy and heavenly calling ; let your 
aims be correspondingly high. As you walk the earth 
let your thoughts find rest in heaven. Commune with 
the unseen, the invisible, the eternal. Place your hope 
on God. " By faith in Christ walk with God." "Seek 
the things above, where Christ is, sitting at the right 
hand of God." Familiarize yourself with thoughts of 
heaven, of glory beyond the grave, of everlasting life, 
of service in the realm of endless peace, of becoming 
a pillar in the temple of God in heaven. 

The eagle rises higher toward heaven than any 
other bird, because, fixing his eyes on the sun, he 
soars toward him ; so do you fix the eye of your faith 
on the Sun of righteousness, and rise toward him, and 
will find yourself growing like him. 

Mr. Blaine, in his eulogy on President Garfield, 
says that the latter once told him, that after being 
wearied with his duties and the cares of state, he 
found great rest and satisfaction in repeating the differ- 
ent petitions of the Lord's Prayer, and in calling to 
mind the promises of Scripture, especially those in the 
eighth of Romans — a great mind and heart communing 
with an unseen Saviour through the simple words 
spoken by him more than eighteen hundred years ago. 
Look up ! Aim at nothing lower than heaven. 
Let one great idea possess you as it did St. Paul, 
who says : ' ' One thing I do, forgetting the things 
that are behind and looking forward to the things 
that are before, I press toward the mark," etc. That 
one pursuit gave earnestness and singleness of aim 



320 Sermons. 

to his whole life, and made him the mighty man 
that he was. 

(2) Conform to the divine standard. Seek con- 
formity in all things to this. In his word God has 
given us a perfect rule of duty ; and in the life of his 
Son he has given us a perfect example ; and fur- 
ther, that we may obey the perfect rule of duty, and 
conform to the perfect example of his Son, he gives 
the Holy Spirit to those who ask in prayer ; and hence 
there is no excuse for the lack of obedience to the 
divine will as revealed in the word, nor for the lack of 
conformity to the example of Jesus as manifested in 
his life. We need both precept and example ; God 
has favored us with both — precept in his word, ex- 
ample in the life of his Son and the Spirit to help us 
to obey the one and imitate the other. 

Do not look to your neighbor, or your fellow-man ; 
do not compare yourself with him or measure your- 
self by him ; do not make imperfection or wrong- doing 
in him an excuse for you to do wrong. 

Look away to Jesus, the one bright pattern of the 
Christian life ; to his word to obey it, and to his ex- 
ample to imitate it. As the magnetic needle points 
steadily to the north pole, so do you keep the eye of 
your faith fixed on Jesus, his fullness, his perfection, 
his grace, his victory, and follow Him, and say noth- 
ing about the imperfections and sins of your fellow- 
creatures ; do not think about them ; do not even 
allude to them in conversation with others. You 
have nothing to do with them ; take care of yourself, 
your thoughts, your words, your deeds, and you will 
do well. As you know, there is established by gov- 
ernment, by civil law, a standard of weights and 



Scriptural Election. 321 

measurements to which men are obliged to conform in 
their dealings and transactions with their fellow-men. 
Now, suppose a man adopts a yard-stick of less 
than thirty-six inches in length, or sells less than sixteen 
ounces for a pound, he is dishonest ; he violates the 
law, and comes under its condemnation and penalty. 
A carpenter contracts to build a house of certain dimen- 
sions, and he measures his work by a false rule instead 
of a true one. Is he not dishonest and wicked? And 
will not both he and his work in the end be con- 
demned ? Now, God in his word, and in the example 
of his Son, has given us a perfect rule of duty, and a 
perfect model or pattern of life and character. All admit 
this. But suppose you discard the divine standard 
given in the word and in Christ, and measure your-, 
self and judge of yourself by your imperfect fellow- 
men, comparing yourself with them, are you not un- 
wise and foolish ? And when the true rule, the moral 
standard, is applied to you and the work of your life, 
will not both be found wanting ? "Be ye not unwise, but 
understand what the will of the Lord is. " If you adopt 
a false standard of judgment you will necessarily form 
a false estimate of yourself; it can not be otherwise. 
This is the reason why it is so difficult to convict people 
of sin ; they compare themselves with others, and so 
deceive themselves. Whereas, if a man will test him- 
self and measure himself by Christ, his perfect word 
and perfect example, he will see his character as it 
really is in the sight of God ; he can not be deceived 
then ; seeing his own deficiencies, sins and imperfec- 
tions, he will be led to correct them, and so make steady 
improvement. I repeat, look away from your fellow- 
men ; if they have faults which you can not but dis- 



322 Sermons. 

cern, throw the mantle of charity over them ; do 
not speak about them ; do not think about them ; 
consider Christ the perfect model, and seek to 
be moulded in his image. I say, if you measure 
your character and judge your motives by the un- 
selfish life of Jesus, you can not but see your own 
defects and sinfulness, and you will feel contrite, peni- 
tent and humble, and you will be stirred up to dili- 
gence in trying to do better ; but if you measure your- 
self by any ^standard other than that God has given 
in Christ and in his word ; if you estimate your own 
moral character by a comparison with others ; if you 
say, as many do, " My chances of heaven are as good 
as theirs," you will deceive yourself, and remain self- 
deceived until you die. 

I now remark in closing, that this view of Christian 
duty and of the Christian life is very different from that 
which many seem to have. The wise course, the 
scriptural way, is to repent of sin, believe on the Lord 
Jesus Christ, confess him before men, and put him on 
in baptism, when well, in health, and you have a 
reasonable prospect of long life before you ; then 
live a Christian life, form a Christian character, and 
have Christ formed in you the hope of glory ; thus 
you will have happiness, joy and peace in life, and in 
death, calmness and hope. And if any of you defer 
preparation for death and the judgment until you 
know that death is just at hand, you do it at the peril 
of your soul. " Be wise to-day ; 't is madness to de- 
fer. " "Now is the well accepted time ; now is the day 
of salvation." 

O live for heaven ! Live to do good ! Live to glorify 
God, and to be serviceable to man ! 



Scriptural Election. 323 

Thomas Guthrie, a distinguished Scottish minister 
who died a few years ago, was fond of quoting a poem, 
one stanza of which reads thus : 

" I live for those that love me, 
For those who know me true, 

For the heaven that smiles above me, 
And waits my coming too ; 

For the cause that needs assistance, 

For the wrongs that need resistance, 

For the future in the distance, 
For the good that I can do." 

Living under the inspiration of such motives, your 
life will be happy as well as useful, your end peaceful, 
and your future blissful. 

Let what Robert Burns says in his poem called 
"The Village Preacher" be true of you, — "All his 
serious thoughts found rest in heaven." 

Draw inspiration from the cross of Christ ; medi- 
tate much and often on the spirit and life of the Great 
Teacher, think frequently on the brevity and uncer- 
tainty of human life, on death, the end of our pro- 
bation, on the judgment after death, on eternity, 
amid the solemnities of which we will all soon be. 
Think of these things. 

Call to mind often your personal responsibility to 
God, before whose judgment seat we shall stand. 

Daniel Webster said, the most solemn thought 
that ever occupied his mind was the thought of his 
personal responsibility to God. Let that thought be 
impressed on your heart, and abide with you day 
and night. 

" Every one of us shall give account of himself to 
God." The necessity of godliness, of personal holi- 



324 SeHmons. 

ness — that holiness without which no one shall see the 
Lord, the necessity of Christian character, and Chris- 
tian living, in order to our final and eternal salvation, is 
not felt as it ought to be felt. We are in great danger 
of being self-deceived on this most important and mo- 
mentous of all questions. 



THE INVITATION OF MOSES TO HOBAB. 

And Moses said unto Hobab, the son of Raguel the 
Midianite, Moses' father-in-law, We are journeying unto 
the place of which the Lord said, I will give it you : come 
thou with us, and we will do thee good : for the Lord hath 
spoken good concerning Israel. (Numbers x. 29.) 

Moses, who spoke these words, is the inspired author 
of the ninetieth Psalm, the oldest poetic composition 
of which we have any knowledge. There is not an- 
other poem of equal antiquity in any language. This 
Psalm was written, most probably, near the close of 
the forty years' wanderings in the wilderness, during 
which period the people had no home, no fixed or 
permanent place of abode. They were in an unsettled 
state ; they wandered from place to place, encamping 
on one spot for a little while, and then moving to an- 
other. In contrast with this shifting, unsettled state 
of things, Moses says : •' ' Lord, a home, a fixed and 
permanent dwelling hast thou been to us in all genera- 
tions." God is the home of the soul, its ultimate and 
permanent resting-place. In him, and in resting on 
him as revealed to us in Christ, the soul finds rest, 
security, shelter, protection, salvation, and growth into 
his image. 

Again, it is more than probable that Moses wrote 
the book of Job during his sojourn in Arabia, and be- 
fore he was divinely called to his public work as leader 

and legislator of the people of God. The reasons for 

325 



326 Sermons. 

this view it is not necessary now to state any further 
than simply to say that the oldest tradition among Jew- 
ish and early Christian scholars is that the book of Job 
was written by Moses. He is the inspired author of 
the first five books of the Old Testament. He is the 
most prominent character in all the Old Testament, the 
most striking and illustrious type of Christ. There are 
more points of resemblance between Moses and Christ 
than between any other two Biblical characters. He is 
a designed type of the Messiah, and the most dis- 
tinguished of all the old Testament types. He was a 
prophet, legislator, lawgiver, leader, ruler, judge and 
intercessor. Numerous are the relations he sustained 
to the people, at whose head he stood for forty years. 
"The law was given through Moses," — that law 
which was for the government, regulation and worship 
of the Jewish people, a' law which is the basis and 
foundation of all the civil laws or every civilized nation 
on the face of the globe to-day. Next to Jesus the 
Messiah, he is the most illustrious lawgiver the world 
has ever seen, and his influence, both as a lawgiver and 
as a man, has been wide, far-reaching and beneficent. 
God spoke to Moses, and the words of God he re- 
hearsed in the hearing- of the people, and afterwards 
committed them to writing. Jehovah knew him face 
to face, and with him he spoke mouth to mouth, even 
apparently, and not in dark speeches. He was a man 
of faith. He was faithful. Jehovah himself bears this 
testimony to him, saying: " My servant Moses is faith- 
ful in all his house." He was meek. He could endure 
much provocation without losing his temper, and be- 
coming angry. "The man Moses was very meek, 
above all the men which were upon the face of the 



Invitation of Moses to Hobab. 327 

earth." God honored him, made him a rich blessing 
to the world. He was a man of prayer. More than once 
he saved the nation, of which he was the chosen leader, 
from complete destruction, by prayer — so earnest and 
importunate was he in his supplications for the people. 
He had power with God in prayer ; he influenced the 
divine mind, and changed the purpose of the un- 
changeable Jehovah, by prayer. In all history, sacred 
and profane, I know of nothing more impressive, 
touching, or even dramatic, than that prayer of forty 
days and forty nights, after the Lord had resolved to 
destroy the entire nation for rebellion and disobedi- 
ence. The arguments he presented and the promises 
he plead were so persuasive that the heart of the 
mighty Jehovah was touched, and his purpose altered. 
More than one-fifth of the entire first year after the 
exodus of the Israelites from Egypt Moses spent on 
Mount Sinai, withdrawn from the people, and in com- 
munion with God. Eighty days and eighty nights 
alone with God, with Jehovah his only companion ; 
the cloud of glory, the symbol of the divine presence, 
resting on the top of the mountain, and enveloping 
him, and Jehovah giving him a pattern of the tabernacle* 
and speaking to him out of the cloud. I have often 
tried to imagine what must have been Moses* feelings, 
as he saw the similitude of Jehovah, and heard the 
voice calling him by name, and telling him what to say 
to the people. Moses was no agnostic, no atheist, no 
deist. He knew the living God, Jehovah, and Jehovah 
knew him face to face ; indeed, the presence of God, 
his existence, majesty, greatness and power were 
to him the one great reality, and '"as seeing him who is 
invisible." But I must not continue to speak of Moses, 



328 Sermons. 

however pleasant it would be, but of these tender 
and beautiful words that fell from his lips. The place 
where these words were spoken was Mount Sinai, near 
whose base the Israelites had been for ten months and 
twenty days. The time was the year 1490 B. c, and 
on the twentieth day of the second month of that year. 
The time from leaving Egypt until they reached Sinai 
was three months. At Sinai they remained ten months 
and twenty days. During the first nine months of 
their stay at Sinai the law was given, and the taber- 
nacle was set up, anointed; and sanctified. The taber- 
nacle was reared up, every article of furniture put in 
its appointed place, and the whole made ready for 
worship on the first day of the first month of the sec- 
ond year. One month and twenty days more pass 
away; the tribes are stationed around the tabernacle 
in the prescribed order, at a distance of three-fifths of 
a mile in every direction, and on every side. The 
pillar of cloud is resting upon it ; two silver trumpets 
are made with which to call the people together. 
Everything is in readiness ; the first march is about to 
be made ; in solemn procession, the whole multitude is 
about to start on its first journey from Sinai. From 
the east, and from the west, and from the north, and 
from the south, the twelve tribes, three from each point 
of the compass, watch the pillar of cloud, and, behold, 
it rises, and then begins to move toward the north, 
and the great multitude, making the most imposing 
pageant that was ever witnessed, begins to move on 
its first journey, according to the commandment of 
Jehovah. It was at this precise period in the history of 
the chosen people that the words of the text were 
spoken. Turning to Hobab, Moses said: "We are 



Invitation of Moses to Hobab. 329 

journeying to the place of which the Lord said, I will 
give it you : come thou with us/' etc. This land was 
first promised to Abraham, then to Isaac, then to 
Jacob, and, finally, to the whole people through Moses 
— a good land, "the glory of all lands," a land of 
great fertility and richness of soil, a land that flowed 
with milk and honey, a land bearing many kinds of 
fruits, pomegranates, grapes and olives. Then the 
invitation given, " Come thou with us." We wish you 
to go with us. We will go without you, if you choose 
not to go ; but we would rather you would go with us, 
and we cordially invite you ; and if you go with us we 
will do you good. Finally, good spoken: "Jeho- 
vah has spoken good to Israel," and we desire you to 
share with us the enjoyment of the promised good. 
Well, what good did the Lord speak to Israel? 
He said, I will redeem you. I will free you from 
your burdens, and from the oppression with which the 
Egyptians oppress you. You shall be my people, my 
inheritance, my portion, my peculiar treasure above all 
people ; you shall be to me a holy nation. I will bring 
you into the promised land, and securely establish you 
there. I will give you that land upon which my eyes 
are always, from the beginning of the year. Such 
was the good spoken to ancient Israel. 

We, the Church of Christ, the ransomed of the 
Lord, are journeying, not to the earthly, but the 
heavenly Canaan — to the better country ; that country 
of which Palestine was but a type ; heaven itself, 
with all its beauty, glory, attractiveness, worth and 
desirableness. Our God says to those who accept 
his proffered mercy: "I will redeem you, save you 
from sin and death, deliver you out of this present 



330 Sermons. 

evil world, receive you into filial relation with myself, 
make you my children, heirs and joint heirs with Jesus 
the Christ ; I will regard you as my inheritance, my 
jewels, my special treasure ; I will delight in thee, re- 
joice over thee ; with the joy of the bridegroom 
over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee ; and 
in the world to come I will give you an eternal inheri- 
tance, an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and un- 
fading, reserved in heaven ; you shall have a kingdom, 
wear a crown, sit on a throne, reign forever and ever ; 
you shall be exalted to princely dignities, to regal 
honors and majesty ; you shall shine as the brightness 
of the firmament, and ; as the stars forever and ever ; 
nay, more, shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of 
the Father ; joys supreme, glory eternal, bliss ecstatic, 
perfection in moral excellence and spiritual beauty 
will be yours throughout everlasting ages." Such is 
the good spoken to God's present Israel. All this will 
be the portion and heritage of the ransomed and faithful. 
We are journeying to that place of which our God has 
said : "I will give it you ; it shall be yours forever, 
and I will crown you with life everlasting in it." And 
we invite you, saying: " Come thou with us, and we 
will do thee good. And it shall be, if thou go with us, 
yea, it shall be that what goodness Jehovah shall do to 
us, the same will we do to thee." 

We have been reading — not only reading, but 
studying with care and diligence — the law of Moses for 
the last few months ; and I have been impressed more 
than ever before with the genuine goodness and great- 
ness of Moses, and the wisdom of the laws given 
through him to the Jewish people ; and while there are 
some things in the Mosaic law that seem severe and 



Invitation of Moses to Hobab. 331 

rigorous, as, for example, the law of retaliation, life for 
life, eye for eye, etc. — yet in all the New Testament 
I know of nothing more tender, beautiful, divine and 
divinely excellent than the sentiment expressed in the 
words I have quoted in my text. 

No one of the apostles ever uttered a sentiment 
more certainly divine and heaven-born than that. As 
it relates to human conduct, nothing can be loftier, more 
excellent and Christlike. "We will make the divine 
conduct toward us the rule of our conduct toward you ; 
we will do to you as our God does to us." Does God 
receive us ? We will receive you. Does he help us ? 
We will try to help you. The church is a true helper 
to all who put themselves under the shadow of her 
wings. You need to surround yourself with good 
influences ; the best influence to be found in this 
world is in the church. Does God bless us? We 
will try to be a blessing to you. God makes his 
people a blessing to their fellow-men. Does he forgive 
us? We will forgive you. Is he patient with us? 
We will be patient with you. Does he comfort us? 
We will try to comfort you. In short, our aim will be 
to do you the same goodness that our Father does to 
us. This shall be the rule of our conduct. 

We repeat the invitation : ' ' Come thou with us ; 
accompany us ; travel in the same road ; seek the same 
ends." God calls you ; he wants you; he has a great 
salvation for you to enjoy ; he has work for you to 
do ; you should make yourself useful to your fellow- 
men ; but God accepts and rewards no work that does 
not spring from a consecrated heart. This is your first 
duty — to dedicate yourself to Christ in obedience, in a 
righteous, godly and holy life ; then service, springing 



332 Sermons. 

from such dedication, will be acceptable to God, and 
richly rewarded by him. What time of life is most 
favorable for commencing this journey to the better 
country ? Our answer is, early life, youth, the spring- 
time of your existence ; and for two reasons. It is 
then easier to commence ; the difficulties in starting 
are not so great. Do you not think that Christ is just 
as much pleased with the faith, love and trust of a boy 
or girl as with those of a man ? Certainly he is. 
Those who start in the Christian life in youth and early 
manhood and womanhood are more likely to remain 
faithful until death. All experience shows this. Take 
any number of young persons, whose average age is 
twelve years, who are in Christian families, have been 
taught at home, in the Sunday-school and church ; bap- 
tize them, if they desire to be baptized, and receive 
them as members of the church ; take the same num- 
ber of men and women, whose average age, at the time 
of their confession and baptism, is forty years, and ten 
of the latter class will draw back and come to nothing, 
where there will not be one of the former class. It is 
so right here in our midst. I can count up a score of 
persons whom I baptized in mature years, and some 
of them in advanced life, but where are they to-day ? 
Drawn back, turned aside ; they are not with us ; but of 
those who confessed the Saviour in youth and early 
life, where are they? In the church, in the Sunday- 
school, at the prayer meetings ; and I recall but very 
few who started in youth that have drawn back. 
Experience and observation show this. If the religious 
education of children is neglected ; if they receive no 
Christian training ; if distinctively religious impressions 
are not made on their minds in early life, it is next to 



Invitation of Moses to Hobab. 333 

impossible ever to make these ; and if those in mature 
life, and whose habits are formed, start to walk the 
strait and narrow way, the danger of drawing back 
and of failure is tenfold. Never discourage your chil- 
dren from coming to Christ. Come yourself, and by 
religious instruction, conversation, good example, and 
the manifestation of the power of godliness in your 
daily life, encourage them to come with you. We re- 
peat our Master's invitation to-day : ' ' Come to me, and 
I will give you rest." " Ho, every one that thirsteth, 
come ye to the waters." " We are journeying to the 
place of which Jehovah said, I will give it you ; come 
thou with us, and we will do thee good ; for the Lord 
hath spoken good concerning Israel." Precious invi- 
tation ! How tender ! In great kindness, and in all 
sincerity it is given. Happy are they who accept it ! 



CHRIST'S GRACIOUS INVITATION. 

A certain man made a great supper, and bade many. 
And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that 
were bidden, Come ; for all things are now ready. (Luke 
xiv. 16). 

There are two points that I wish to put before you, 
two thoughts to which I give expression, and to which 
I solicit your earnest consideration. 

(i) Christ's precious invitation, with a statement of 
the blessings he invites us to enjoy and inherit through 
the gospel. 

(2) Some reasons why people do not accept the in- 
vitation, respond thereto, and actually come. Christ's 
precious and tender invitation is, Come. When on 
earth Christ himself gave this invitation. This word 
often fell from his sacred lips, Come. By and by, to 
those who do not come, he will say, Depart from me ; 
but now it is, Come ; and, in great mercy, he waits to 
see what your decision will be. Jesus frequently says, 
Come. Seven hundred years before his advent the 
prophet Isaiah gave this invitation, saying: "Ho, 
every one that thirsteth, come." And Jesus has com- 
manded all his disciples and servants to repeat to their 
fellow-men everywhere the same invitation. The 
Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that 
hears say, Come. And let him that thirsts, come. 
This is the word by which is given the precious invita- 
tion. Come to what ? Come to whom ? In one 
334 



Christ's Gracious Invitation. 335 

passage it is, "Come to the marriage." "The king- 
dom of heaven is like to a certain king who made a 
marriage for his son. And he sent forth his servants 
to call those who were bidden." In another passage it 
is, " Come to the great supper which God has pre- 
pared." Jesus uses these words: "A certain man 
made a great supper, and invited many. And at the 
hour of the supper he sent his servant to say to those 
who were bidden, Come ; for all things are now ready." 
Thus the blessings of salvation, that ample and 
bounteous provision which God has made for the 
spiritual wants of men, is likened, by the great Teacher, 
to a marriage festival, and to a supper ; and the invita- 
tion is, Come one and come all, and partake of 
and enjoy that which the grace, bounty and munifi- 
cence of our God has provided. Elsewhere the invi- 
tation is, ' ' Ho, every one that thirsts, come ye to the 
waters." In other passages still it is, " Come to me." 
The Lord Jesus is the speaker, the inviter, and it is 
to himself that he bids sinners come. How gracious 
is the invitation ! * * Come to me. Draw near to me. 
Trust me. Repose confidence in me." Jesus stood 
before the people. Many were within the sound of 
his voice. He had upbraided the cities wherein most 
of his miracles were done, because they repented not. 
He had pronounced woes on Chorazin, Bethsaida and 
Capernaum, because they repented not in sackcloth and 
ashes, solemnly assuring them that it would be more 
tolerable for Tyre and Sidon and even Sodom, in the 
day of judgment than for them. He then says : " All 
things were delivered to me by my Father; and no 
one knows the Son but the Father ; nor does any one 
know the Father save he to whom the Son will reveal 



336 Sermons. 

him." Our next point is, why do not all accept the 
gracious invitation given in the gospel? Some do, 
but many do not. ' ' Many are called, but few are 
chosen." The call is from God, the choice rests with 
each individual. Those not chosen are they who re- 
fuse to come. Man is endowed with the power of 
choice. He chooses the one whom he will serve, 
whether Christ or the world. Why do not all come ? 
The reason I give is this : a lack of faith. A want of 
confidence in the divine testimony, and in he whom that 
testimony reveals. Those who believe truly, sincerely 
and with all the heart, do come ; they can not stay 
away. Their faith in Jesus brings them right in trust,. 
in personal consecration, and in obedience to all his 
commands. 

Perhaps you say, "I do not feel like coming to 
Christ. When I feel like it I will come, but not 
now ; my affections are not now enlisted, my heart is 
not stirred, my emotional nature is not aroused." 
But why do you not feel? Why is your soul not 
aglow with feeling, and your heart with true Christian 
emotion ? The true answer is evident : you do not 
believe what God says. Believe, and you will feel ; be- 
lieve strongly, and you will feel deeply. Suppose one 
in whose word you have full confidence exclaims in 
your hearing, "Yonder house is on fire! " You be- 
lieve, and instantly begin to feel, and you feel because 
you believe. He further says: "There is a child in 
the chamber, and it is in danger of being burned to 
death." Now you believe more deeply. The nature 
of the tidings conveyed awakens emotion. You run 
toward the place of the fire, and are willing to put 
forth any exertion in your power to save the property, 



Christ's Gracious Invitation. 337 

and especially the life of the child. It is manifest that 
feeling depends on believing ; and if you do not feel 
on the subject of personal religion, feel deeply enough 
to confess Christ before men, obey him in baptism, and 
enter on a life of devotion to his service, it is because 
you do not believe the testimony God has given. 
Faith begets feeling ; and the depth and intensity of 
our feelings is determined by the strength of our faith. 
Consider Paul. He was a strong man, a logician, the 
most logical of all the apostles, yet a man of profound 
emotion, of the deepest and tenderest feeling. He not 
only preached the gospel publicly, and to the people 
when gathered together, but from house to house, 
" warning every one night and day with tears." And 
the prophet Jeremiah, how passionately did he feel ! 
"That my head were waters, and my eyes a fountain 
of tears, that I might weep day and night." It is 
thus plain, I think, that true Christian emotion has its 
origin in true Christian faith, that faith which purifies 
the heart, works by love, leads to and results in all 
holy obedience. Well, why do not people believe ? 
As a general rule this answer may be given, and is the 
correct one. They do not search the Scriptures. The 
testimony to be believed is in the Bible ; but he who 
neither reads, nor studies, nor searches that testimony, 
can not be reasonably expected to believe it. He can 
not believe that of which he is ignorant. Oh, if peo- 
ple would only search the divine records, especially 
the New Testament, with a good and honest heart, 
seeking light, seeking information from God concern- 
ing the way of life, seeking the truth that they might 
believe and obey it, they would not long remain in 
unbelief and disobedience ! They would believe, obey, 



338 Sermons. 

and be blessed. Think of the Bereans, to whom Paul 
preached, and of whom we read in the book of Acts. 
"They were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in 
that they searched the Scriptures daily." I refer you 
also to the Ethiopian, of whose conversion and baptism 
a history is given in the eighth of Acts. 

The opposition of the human will to the divine 
will is another reason, a principal reason, why people 
do not accept Christ's gracious invitation, and come to 
him for salvation and eternal life. Our Lord teaches, 
" You are not willing to come to me, that you might 
have life." 

Again, " if any one is willing to do God's will he 
shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or 
whether I speak of myself." God is willing that all 
men should be saved, but not near all are willing to 
be saved. The mind may be enlightened, the judg- 
ment may be convinced, the understanding may assent, 
the heart even may be touched, and the conscience 
impressed, yet the will resists, and says : " I yield not. 
I will not accept Christ, nor will I have him to reign 
over me." But, mark you, the control of the will is 
within your own power. You may yield, or not, as 
you choose. The evidence is ample, the testimony is 
sufficient to produce conviction, but your will may re- 
sist the evidence, hold out against the testimony, refuse 
to be controlled by the motives, and you abide in 
death and disobedience. Yet a moral responsibility is 
upon you ! You determine the question of your own 
destiny. 

Confession of personal unworthiness is often pre- 
sented as an excuse for not corning to the Saviour. 
People say : "I am not good enough to be a member 



Christ's Gracious Invitation. 339 

of the church. When I get better I will confess Christ 
and be baptized. " O, the deceitfulness of sin! And 
what a striking proof of its deceitfulness in that very 
excuse ! Suppose you are ill, so sick that a physician 
is sent for. He comes, examines your case, and makes 
a prescription ; and you say to him : ' ' Doctor, I am 
too ill too take this medicine ; when I get better I will 
take it ; let me get well enough before taking it." He 
makes this prescription for the very reason that you 
are ill, and you are to take it that you are to be 
made better. If you were well you would not need it. 
You need this remedy just because you are sick. It 
is, indeed, a good thing to feel thus. Your unworthi- 
ness, sinfulness, guiltiness, are the very reasons why 
you should come to Christ Jesus, and in him be made 
whole. If we had not been sinners, Jesus would never 
have come into the world ; there would have been 
no need of his coming. " He came, not to call the 
righteous, but sinners to repentance." 

If you are unworthy, Christ will make you worthy 
by clothing you with his own worthiness, and with the 
robe of his Own righteousness, and will cleanse away 
all your sins. If you are guilty, he will justify and ab- 
solve you from the guilt of sin. Would you become 
better? How do people become better ? By walking 
with Jesus by faith, and in obedience to his will. 
There is no other way to become better. Christ trans- 
forms his true disciples into his own grace, goodness 
and loveliness. Hence, your personal unworthiness, 
instead of being a reason for not coming to him, is the 
great reason why you should come to him, and without 
delay. Would you become good? Who can do peo- 
ple good? "None but Jesus can do helpless sinners 



340 Sermons. 

good." Every consideration urges the importance and 
necessity of coming to him. Frame no excuses. The 
only valid excuse you can possibly have is that you 
have not been called hitherto ; but now, being called, 
every excuse is taken away. Our King says, ' ' Come, 
come to-day ; for now is the well accepted time ; behold, 
now is the day of salvation !" "The Spirit and the 
bride say, Come. And let him that hears say, Come. 
And let him that thirsts, come ; and whosoever is will- 
ing, let him take the water of life freely." 



THE TERMS OF FINAL SALVATION. 

Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make 
your calling and election sure ; for if ye do these things ye 
shall never fall. (II. Peter i. 10). 

Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, De- 
part from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for 
the devil and his angels. (Matthew xxv. 41). 

He who lightly values the Word of God commits 
a great error, which, if he does not abandon it, will re- 
sult in the ruin of his soul. Every man should re- 
gard his own word as most sacred. From his spoken 
utterance, from his promise given, he should not in the 
least depart, if it be at all in his power to make them 
good. The truthfulness and reliability of his charac- 
ter depend on his fidelity to his own word. 

It is said in Scripture that Jehovah has magnified 
his word above all his name, i. e., above every other 
attribute and adorable perfection of his name and 
character. He is the faithful God ; true to his promises, 
true to his threatenings. All his promises will in due 
time be fulfilled ; not one of them will fail of fulfill- 
ment ; and all his threatenings will be executed. All 
our hopes for time and eternity depend on the truth- 
fulness, unchanging nature and immutability of the 
word of Jehovah, " who will not break his own cove- 
nant, nor alter the word which has come forth from his 
own lips ; " and who says : M To this man will I look, 
and to this man will I have respect, to him who is 



342 Sermons. 

poor, humble, and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth 
at my word." If the eyes of the Lord God were 
always upon the land of Palestine, in which he placed 
the chosen people, from the beginning of the year 
even to the end of the year ; if his eyes and heart were 
in the temple perpetually, as he himself said they should 
be ; if his eyes are upon the righteous, and his ears are 
toward their supplications, will he, can he forget his 
own word-^-that word which lives and abides forever? 
Nay; he is in his own word ; his own life and authority 
are in it. As did the Israelites in the time of Ezra, 
we all have need to tremble at the word of God, that 
word which is everlasting truth, which survives all the 
revolutions of time, the rise, decay and overthrow of 
earthly empires, and which, like the kingdom of God, 
can not be moved, but stands forever. What a treasure 
is this word ! " More is it to be desired than gold, yea, 
than much fine gold." "The law of his mouth is 
better to us than thousands of gold and silver." 

Now, that which makes the Bible of such priceless 
value and inestimable worth to us is this : First, it is a 
book of divine revelation, of inspired truth. It makes 
known to man truth, which, without revelation, he 
never could have known. It is what it purports to 
be, a revelation from God, that is, a manifestation or 
sacred disclosure of the divine character, will and pur- 
poses, of man's immortality, duty and destiny. 

We come to the Bible as a book of conclusions. 
Its authority is final, decisive, and the end of all contro- 
versy. Like the decisions of the Supreme Court of 
the United States, its decisions are final. From them 
there is no appeal. Its authority on all subjects on 
which it speaks is conclusive. A "thus saith the 



The Terms of Final Salvation. 343 

Lord " settles all things. Hence, we have a sure basis, 
a foundation on which to rest, and on which to predi- 
cate our hopes for the future. Christ's word, like him- 
self, is the same yesterday, to-day and forever. And he 
who receives into his mind and heart this word, believes 
it truly, obeys it faithfully, has in his soul the principle 
of immortal and eternal life. These reflections are 
sufficient to prepare our minds for the subject of this 
morning's discourse, which is, the terms of final salva- 
tion, the conditions of inheriting the kingdom of glory, 
of entrance into the everlasting kingdom. In my judg- 
ment, no theme can possibly be more important to us 
who are soon to die, and to stand before the righteous 
Judge. These conditions, comprehensively stated, are 
two : (1) Good character. (2) Right action. A char- 
acter based on faith, springing from it, nourished and 
built up by it, and action proceeding from this faith, 
and the manifestation of this character. These two go 
together. Like the Siamese twins, they are inseparably 
united. Wherever the character is, there is also the 
action ; and it exerts a reflex influence on the char- 
acter, strengthens and perfects it. The character 
necessary to the enjoyment of eternal life is described 
by the apostle Peter in the first chapter of his second 
letter, commencing with the fifth verse. " Yea, for this 
very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith 
fortitude, knowledge, self-control, patience, brotherly 
kindness and love." Such is the character. It is 
described by an inspired apostle. O that we felt more 
deeply than we do the necessity of forming it, of being 
built up, established and perfected therein ! Now, in 
regard to this character sketched by Peter, it is well to 
know and remember that he had the keys to the king- 



344 Sermons. 

dom of heaven, I pass to consider, in the next place, 
the action requisite to final acceptance with our Judge. 
This was described by our Lord himself in the twenty- 
fifth chapter of Matthew, in the Parable of the Judg- 
ment. He who is the truth itself has taught us the 
truth concerning this most important matter, and 
his word stands forever. Death does not decide all. 
After death is the judgment. Christ, in his relation 
to men as their great Judge, will come amidst the 
clouds, sitting on his glorious throne. There are 
two thrones. He will come to judge mankind ; and 
notice the extent of that judgment. "Before him 
will be gathered all the nations. " He will discrimin- 
ate, effect a final separation between the false and the 
true, between the good and the bad, between the 
righteous and the wicked, as the shepherd divides be- 
tween the sheep and the goats of his flock. I call your 
attention specially to the reason for the welcome ex- 
tended to the one class, and for the sentence of con- 
demnation pronounced on the other. " I was hungry, 
and you gave me food." 

Six specifications are named, upon our having done 
which, the Judge will say to us: "Come, inherit the 
kingdom." What does that language mean? How 
are we to interpret it ? There are few, if any, 
passages in the word of God on which I have meditated 
more than on this passage. Realizing that my destiny 
turns on my doing what our Saviour here points out, I 
want to know what he means. I wish to understand 
his language ; and I am sure we all ought to try to un- 
derstand it ; for our eternal salvation, our admission to 
glory, our inheriting the kingdom depends on our 
doing and having done the things here named. It is, 



The Terms of Final Salvation. 345 

therefore, a question of life and death with us. He 
who shuts his eyes to the word of God, and does not 
seek by diligent study, meditation and prayer to under- 
stand it for himself, is, in the language of Scripture, a 
fool, and will perish in his ignorance. There ap- 
proaches a time when this prophecy will have become 
history, and all here foretold an accomplished fact. 
Much reflection on and consideration of this passage 
has led me to change my views in regard to the true 
interpretation of it. I interpret it differently now from 
what I did once. 

Does feeding the hungry consist in giving a crust 
of bread to the beggar at your door, then turning about, 
shutting the door, and thenceforth bidding him begone ? 
Is that it ? Does giving drink to the thirsty consist in 
giving a cup of cold water or poor coffee to a way- 
faring man, who may chance to come and ask for them ? 
Is that it? Does clothing the naked consist in giving 
your cast-off, worn garments to him who is in tatters ? 
Does visiting the sick consist in going out to inquire 
after some relative who has the fever or consumption ? 
Does going to those in prison mean going to some of 
the inmates of the penitentiary, or to the jail, and trying 
to do them some good ? Is that the literal meaning, 
the true meaning of these expressions of our Lord ? 
If so, few of us here to-day will, I fear, ever enter 
heaven ; because we do not do, to any extent, the 
things here named. We do not feed the hungry, nor 
clothe the naked, nor take in strangers, nor visit the 
sick, nor go to those in prison, very much, if any. 
Our Saviour, by his incarnation, and in virtue of his 
human nature, is related to and in an important sense 
identified with the whole human race, every man, 



346 Sermons. 

woman and child on the globe. He is the Head of 
humanity. Having taken our nature, and died for our 
sins, he carried it with him triumphant over death to the 
throne, and was crowned with glory in heaven. And 
by the authority with which he was invested he com- 
mitted the publication of the gospel to every creature, 
and the conversion of the world, to his church. The 
hungry are those who are famishing for the bread of 
life. "I perish here with hunger," said the prodigal 
son. "He that comes to me shall never hunger," 
Jesus says. It is the hunger of the soul, not the body. 
The thirsty are those perishing for lack of the water of 
life. Hence, the invitation : ' ' Ho, every one that is 
thirsty, come ye to the waters." The strangers or 
foreigners are the great Gentile world, the heathen 
nations. The sick are those morally diseased by sin. 
And those in prison are men and women bound by the 
fetters of sin and Satan. Christ came to release prisoners, 
' ' to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them 
that sit in darkness out of the prison house." He 
says to the prisoners: "Go forth." And to them 
that sit in darkness: "Show yourselves." To feed 
the hungry is to give the bread of life to those who are 
famishing for want of it. To give drink to the thirsty 
is to give the water of life to those who are athirst. 
This I believe to be the true meaning of these ex- 
pressions that fell from the lips of our Divine Master. 
Christ requires men and women to believe on him 
through the testimony given ; to obey him ; to become 
members of his church, and thus associate themselves 
together, unite, organize, band themselves together, 
in the great and holy work of giving the gospel to the 
world, and publishing it to every creature. In other 



The Terms of Final Salvation. 347 

words, we are to take part with the Saviour in the sal- 
vation of the world. We are to share with him, and 
be identified with him in the sowing of the good seed, 
in work, in toil, in suffering, in sacrifice, in giving, in 
prayer, that we may be one with him in his triumph 
in glory, and reign with him forever and ever. This is 
to be our work ; we are to accept as our mission that 
grand and holy enterprise to which every other is to 
minister and be made subservient. We are to prose- 
cute our secular business, pursue our daily avocations, 
make money, accumulate wealth, with this object be- 
ofe us, and with this end in view, viz., the publica- 
tion of the gospel throughout the wide world. The 
church is to be one great missionary society ; all her 
members are to be united, heart, hand, mind, soul, 
body, gifts and prayers, in the blessed, elevating, 
and elevated work of seeking the enlightenment and 
redemption of the world. And if Christian men, in 
their business pursuits, and in the increase of wealth, 
would keep this in mind, and if, as their means accumu- 
late, they would increase their gifts for benevolent pur- 
poses, no danger; but if, as their pecuniary ability 
increases, they become more selfish, more worldly- 
minded, less benevolent, and hoard up or spend the 
Lord's money in extravagant living, they will go to 
perdition, and sink under the curse and condemnation 
of Christ. What of those on the left hand, to whom 
the Judge will say: "Depart into everlasting fire!" 
Were they outrageous sinners? Were they murderers, 
idolaters, liars, thieves, robbers, cut-throats? Not at 
all. Their lives were a failure. They had taken no 
part with Christ in the salvation of the world. They 
had lived for themselves, not for him. They had not 



34^ Sermons. 

identified themselves with the mission and work and 
cause of Christ in this world. In short, they had 
taken no part with the Saviour in the salvation of men. 
The great objects of his mission to this world they had 
not sought to carry out. If our eyes were but opened 
to see it, if we but exercised true faith, we would dis- 
cern that a mighty conflict is going on in this world ; 
# that Satan and legions of evil are set in deadly conflict 
with the hosts of light in the struggle for man's re- 
demption. 

O my hearers, I would that I could so speak the 
truth on this subject as to stir your consciences to their 
deepest depths. I am pleased to know, and to record 
the fact that the missionary spirit among our churches 
throughout the country is growing, and taking posses- 
sion of more hearts and minds ; but there is still room 
for improvement ; and this spirit should so take posses- 
sion of us all that it will rule us, control us, govern 
our conduct and guide our actions, sway our whole 
life, and bring us into full sympathy with Christ. 



TALENTS AND RETRIBUTION. 

And these shall go away into everlasting punishment ; 
but the righteous into life eternal. (Matthew xxv. 46). 

Of the three reports of this conversation, Matthew's 
is by far the longest. There are three parables, which 
none of the other evangelists record, viz., the parable 
of the Ten Virgins; the parable of the Talents ; and the 
parable of the Final Judgment. The first of these 
three teaches the duty of watchfulness, of personal 
preparation, of having our loins girded about, our 
lamps trimmed and burning, and we "like men wait- 
ing for their lord, when he shall return." The second 
shows the necessity of improving our talents, whether 
they be one or more, and the awful doom of those who 
do not. The third parable inculcates the great duty 
of Christian beneficence, of practical love to our neigh- 
bor, as the indispensable condition of admission to the 
everlasting kingdom ; for the Christian life, privilege 
and duty are united. If we faithfully do our duty we 
will greatly enjoy our privileges and be richly blessed. 
Each parable has its moral ; that is to say, one great 
and instructive lesson is taught in it. Be watchful, . 
have oil in your lamps, and let them be burning; see 
that you have the spirit of Christ, and are bringing 
forth the fruits thereof; improve your talents, increase 
the number originally given you as you may ; make the 
most of this life and its golden opportunities, so that 

you will come out right in the end, and have richly 

349 



350 Sermons. 

ministered to you the entrance into the kingdom of 
heaven ; live a beneficent life, be unselfish, do good to 
others, seek the salvation, happiness and riches of 
your fellow-men, and then Christ will say to you in 
that day : ' ' Come up higher ; enter into the joy of 
thy Lord ; inherit the kingdom prepared for you from 
the foundation of the world ; go into everlasting life, 
and be forever with the Lord." Our Lord speaks at some 
length of his second advent, of his personal return to 
this world. The word "then" denotes a particular 
time. "Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened 
to ten virgins," etc. That is, the parable of the vir- 
gins shows us what shall be the moral state and spirit- 
ual condition of the church at the time of our Lord's 
coming. The virgins, the entire number, ten, the 
wise and foolish, represent the church as she will 
be when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven 
with his mighty angels, the great body of professed 
believers, including the wheat and tares, the sheep 
and the goats, the good, bad and indifferent. The 
truths taught in this parable are clothed in oriental 
costume. Allusion is made to an eastern marriage ser- 
vice or festival. The solemnization of marriages in the 
East was generally performed at night. The bride and 
bridegroom being affianced, the day appointed for the 
marriage ceremony having come, the bridegroom, his 
attendants and invited guests proceeded to the house 
of the bride. As they approached the cry was made : 
"Behold, the bridegroom! Go out and meet him." 
Then the bride and her attendants, with their lamps, 
went forth to meet the approaching procession ; and 
having met them, all returned to the home of the 
bride, where the marriage was solemnized. In this 



Talents and Retribution. 351 

parable, half the virgins lacked oil, and they said to 
the wise : ' ' Give us of your oil, for our lamps are go- 
ing out." Now, I wish you to observe that the five 
foolish virgins were excluded from the marriage festival 
because they lacked oil in their lamps. In the inter- 
pretation of the parable that means the Holy Spirit. In 
the Scriptures oil is the symbol of the divine Spirit. 
Our Saviour was anointed with the " oil of gladness ; " 
or, as it is elsewhere said, with the Holy Spirit. And 
this parable teaches the sad and solemn truth that 
many of Christ's professed disciples have not his 
Spirit. And an apostle says: "If any man have not 
the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. " This explains 
how it is, and why it is that so many are barren and 
fruitless, dry, cold, selfish, and but half-hearted. They 
have not Christ's Spirit. It were vain to expect fruit 
where there is no tree ; for fruit grows only on trees, 
and without the tree fruit is impossible. So, if the 
Spirit be not in the heart, dwelling there as a sanctify- 
ing presence, it is vain to hope for fruit in the life. 

The second of the three parables in this chapter is 
that of the Talents, to a brief elucidation of which I 
now direct your attention. "For as a man going 
abroad called his own servants, and delivered to them 
his goods ; and to one he gave five talents, to another 
two, and to another one." Time will not permit a 
textual or verbal explanation of this parable. I desire 
rather to state briefly the lessons taught, and the great 
truths revealed in it. They are such as these. God is 
the great proprietor or owner of all. He calls his own 
servants, and delivers to them his own goods. All 
men are his servants. From him they derive their ex- 
istence and life. " In him we live and move and have 



352 Sermons. 

our being; and his offspring we are." The goods he 
delivers to us, or the talents he gives to us, are his. 
They are lent to us, and for a purpose, to be improved 
by us. What hast thou that thou didst not receive ? 
The faculties we possess, the endowments we have, are 
his gift. Again, people differ as to the number of 
talents originally given them. All have not the same 
number, nor exactly the same kind. People differ in 
native talent, or natural endowments. Among natural 
gifts one has a talent for music, or for drawing and 
civil engineering, another for mechanics, another for 
chemical investigation, another for astronomical re- 
search ; one has great business talent ; he can organ- 
ize, build up great interests and accumulate vast 
wealth ; one can manage men ; some can best serve as 
clerks, salesmen, or employes ; they lack the talents 
necessary to conduct any business of their own, how- 
ever small ; and if they attempt it they will certainly 
fail ; others by their native endowments are best fitted to 
be statesmen ; others, poets ; others, physicians ; others, 
ministers ; others, authors ; and so on. As in nature 
there is an infinite number of and endless variety in 
created objects, each answering the purpose of the 
wise Creator in its existence, so in intellectual gifts. 
How numberless ! How endless in their variety ! One 
supplies what another lacks. And there is need of all 
these. What about the one talent ? Does any lack this 
one? If so, he is not responsible, and can not justly 
be condemned for not improving it. My judgment is, 
there is no one, no rational responsible being on the 
earth, that has not this one talent. There is a God- 
ward as well as an earthward side to our nature. Man 
has a moral and spiritual nature by which he is allied 



Talents and Retribution. 353 

to the angels and to God. He has a capacity for re- 
ligion. He may know God, understand him, walk with 
him, have fellowship with him, come into similarity of 
feeling with him, be a partaker of the divine nature ; 
have the divine life in his soul, grow into likeness to 
God himself, become assimilated to the life and spirit 
of the Christ, be conformed to his image, and thus raised 
from the sphere of the earthly, mortal Adamic species, 
into the sphere of a new spiritual and eternal life of 
which Christ himself is the head and elder brother. 
And thus he may attain to glory, honor and immortality. 
All this is possible ; and is set before us in the gospel. 
This glorious end may be attained ; salvation is offered, 
full, free and complete ; divine help and guidance 
are proffered, and all needful good bestowed by the 
way. And whether men neglect or not to improve 
their natural and intellectual gifts, it is at their peril 
that they neglect to cultivate religion, piety and devo- 
tion to God, and to improve this best and highest of all 
gifts ; neglect to cultivate religion, piety and devotion 
to God, and to make the best of the opportunities 
afforded them for this purpose. For what are gifts 
bestowed? That they may be improved, increased, 
multiplied to God's glory and man's good. A man 
has capital ; he does not want it lying idle ; he wants 
interest, increase from it ; and he loans it, or goes into 
business with it ! And so God, having bestowed on 
men these gifts, expects increase, growth, enlargement, 
the multiplication of them, so that at the end we can 
give good account of our stewardship. This leads me 
to say that a day of reckoning is coming. We are to 
give account of ourselves to God, the righteous Judge. 
Solemn and searching inquiry will be made as to what 



354 Sermons. 

we did with the talents given us. " After a long time, 
the lord of those servants comes and reasons with 
them." Thus the reward is a wider field for work, 
more opportunities of doing good, and increased 
strength to use our talents in such a way as best to 
promote the interests and glory of him who gave them. 
Believe me, our work for God will not end at th e 
grave ; our sphere of usefulness is not limited to or 
bound by this life. Nay, our life in heaven will be an 
eternal, never wearying service of our Creator. What 
is the destiny of the servant who received the one 
talent? " He went and digged in the earth, and hid 
his lord's money." And in the day of reckoning he 
said : "I knew thee, that thou art a hard man, reaping 
where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou 
hast not strewed." How fearful his destiny! Think, 
and beware of it ! 

The third parable is that of the Judgment. And 
in this I only call your attention to the reasons 
for the welcome extended to the one class, and 
for the sentence of condemnation pronounced on the 
other. ' ' I was hungry, and you gave me food ; I 
was athirst, and you gave me drink ; I was naked, and 
you clothed me." Now, what does that mean? How 
are we to interpret that language ? There is, perhaps, 
no passage in the word of God on which I have medi- 
tated more than on this passage. I desire to under- 
stand it. And I am sure we all ought to try to under- 
stand it ; for our eternal salvation, our admission to 
glory, our inheriting the kingdom of heaven and final 
entrance thereinto depends on our doing, and having 
done, the things here named. 

An old man, eighty-four years of age, came into 



Talents and Retribution. 355 

the presence of his sovereign, a Persian monarch, and 
according to oriental usage, he bowed before his 
sovereign's throne. "Pray be seated, said the mon- 
arch ; I can not receive homage from one bent with 
years, and whose head is white with the frosts of age." 
To the old man, having taken the proffered seat, the 
monarch said: "Now tell me thine age; how old 
art thou ? How many revolutions of the sun hast 
thou counted?" "Sir," answered the old man, "I 
am but four years old." "What!" interrupted the 
king, "fearest thou not to tell me a falsehood, or dost 
thou jest on the very brink of the grave ? " "I speak 
not falsely, sir," replied the aged man, "neither would 
I jest on a subject so solemn. Eighty 1 long years I 
wasted in folly and sinful pleasure and in amassing 
wealth, none of which I can take with me when I 
leave this world. Four years only have I spent in 
living righteously, in serving God, and in doing good 
to my fellow-men ; and shall I count those years that 
were utterly wasted ? Are they not worse than a 
blank ? Had I not better not have lived at all ? And 
is not that portion only worthy to be reckoned as a 
part of my life which has truly answered life's best 
end?" What a melancholy confession! Eighty-four 
years since his birth, but he had really lived only four 
years ! Of how many is this true ! You begin truly 
and really to live only when you come into vital 
union with Christ, acknowledge him as the righteous 
and merciful King, and begin to act under the power 
of those high and holy motives that have their origin 
in God, in Christ, and take root in spiritual and eternal 
verities. Live for the world to come. Seek the true 
riches. Lay up treasures in heaven. Lay hold on 



356 Sermons. 

eternal life. Lay up in store for yourself a good 
foundation against the time to come, that you may lay 
hold on the true life of glory and blessedness beyond 
the grave. You will need a good foundation on which 
to rest when death comes. Indeed, you need it now. 
A few years ago a man died in New York, having 
amassed a fortune reckoned by tens of millions. He 
lived for this world, and gained a good portion of it > 
but when he felt the icy hand of death upon him, he 
said to the servant who had attended him for years : 
"What is to become of me? Who can save me? 
Who can do me any good or help me ? " And in bit- 
terness of soul, dejection of spirit and hopelessness he 
passed into eternity ; and it would seem as if the 
judgment of God followed even his remains, for they 
were stolen from the place in which they were buried, 
and no one except the thief or thieves knows where 
they are to-day. 

Oh, the folly of living for this world only ! 
My hearers, you are engaged during the week in 
business of one kind or another. Material things, 
merchandise, buying and selling stocks, brokerage, 
secular toil, these things largely occupy your atten- 
tion, and you do not do very thoroughly the things 
necessary to promote -your moral growth, your spir- 
itual culture and improvement of your talents ; you 
are apt to neglect these things, as you well know; 
and I feel it incumbent on me to come to you 
on the Lord's day with truth drawn directly from the 
Bible, the fountain of sacred truth, and press upon 
your consciences its claims, and thus, if possible, save 
some of you, for many of you will not be saved. I 
hold up before you to-day, as L always do, the one 



Talents and Retribution. 357 

book of divine revelation and divine authority, of cer- 
tain and infallible truth, and tell you it is at your peril 
if you .disobey it, or disobey its requirements. We 
have no authority to enjoin upon you but submission 
to Christ. Our authority comes from the word of that 
God with whom you have to do, and whose word will 
judge you at the last day. Despise it not. Obey it, 
and your soul shall live. 



THE CHRISTIAN'S INHERITANCE. 

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
which according- to his abundant mercy hath begotten us 
again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ 
from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and unde- 
filed, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you. 
Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto 
salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (I. Peter 
i. 3-5)- 

I have chosen, as the subject of this morning's 
discourse, the same topic, substantially, that I intended 
to have brought to the notice of those present at the 
prayer-meeting on last Wednesday evening: viz., 
the scriptural idea of inheritance; the Christian's 
inheritance, which the apostle from whose first let- 
ter we have just read this text affirms to be incor- 
ruptible, i. e., imperishable, undefiled, and unfad- 
ing, and which is reserved in heaven for the ran- 
somed of the Lord ; the inheritance of the saints in 
light. A word that occurs frequently in the Holy 
Scriptures, not so often, however, in the New Testa- 
ment as in the Old Testament, but which, in the New, 
is used in a higher and more spiritual sense. In the 
Bible this word has four different meanings. First, it 
signifies that part or portion of an estate which de- 
scends from an ancestor to his descendants, or from a 
father to his children. One's possession, property, 
portion, or inheritance. Hence, we have in the Mosaic 

code what is called the law of inheritance, i. e., the 

358 



The Christian's Inheritance. 359 

law governing or regulating the descent of property. 
"If a man die, and have no son> then you shall cause 
his inheritance to pass to his daughter. And if he 
have no daughter, then you shall give his inheritance 
to his brothers. And if he have no brothers, then you 
shall give his inheritance to his father's brothers." 

Again, the idea in the word inheritance is trans- 
ferred from property to persons, and means the saints, 
the redeemed as the inheritance of Christ. This is 
a very common meaning of the word. "The riches 
of the glory of Christ's inheritance in the saints " is an 
expression of the apostle Paul. Thirdly, the word is 
applied to Jehovah. God himself as the portion, or 
inheritance, of his children. " My heart and my flesh 
faileth ; but thou art the strength of my heart, and my 
portion, my all-sufficient and unfailing supply, for- 
ever. " Fourthly, it signifies that which the saints in- 
herit, in virtue of their saintship, or relation to God as 
his children. On the first meaning of the word I need 
not delay to comment further ; but proceed to speak 
of the Lord's inheritance in the saints, and of the 
saints' inheritance in Christ. In the Old Testament, 
also in the New, the Lord's people are called his 
inheritance, his possession, his private property. By 
Moses, by David, by Solomon, and by others in Old 
Testament times, they are thus called. "The Lord's 
portion is his people ; Jacob is the lot of his inherit- 
ance/' After their deliverance from bondage in Egypt, 
and while they were tarrying at Sinai, before proceed- 
ing on their way to the land of promise, they fell into 
sin ; they became idolaters ; they made a golden calf 
and worshiped it ; as it is written: "The people sat 
down to eat and drink, and rose up' to play. '' Jehovah 



360 Sermons. 

was justly displeased, and he said to Moses: "I will 
disinherit them ; I will destroy them ; I will blot out 
their name from under heaven ; and I will make of 
thee a nation mightier and greater than they." Moses 
prayed for the people, and in his prayer he urges the 
plea: " They are thine inheritance. And wilt thou 
destroy thine own inheritance, whom thou didst re- 
deem out of Egypt by thy mighty power, and by thy 
stretched out arm ?" In the prayer he offered at the 
dedication of the temple, Solomon twice calls the peo- 
ple for whom he prayed the Lord's inheritance. The 
psalmist says: "Save thy people, and bless thine in- 
heritance. " In the first chapter of Ephesians the 
apostle prays that " the eyes of our understanding may 
be enlightened, that we may know what is the hope of 
Christ's calling, and what the riches of the glory of his 
inheritance in the saints." What a glorious inheritance 
has Chiist in the saints! Think of it! The saints of 
all ages ! The glorious company of the prophets, the 
goodly fellowship of the apostles, the noble army of 
martyrs, the vast throng of the elect, the great multi- 
tude which no one can number, out of all nations and 
tribes and peoples and tongues, triumphant and victori- 
ous before the throne ; gifted souls, noble and exalted 
minds ; pure hearts ; believing, obedient spirits ; a 
mighty host, a countless number, an unspeakably great 
multitude, loved by Christ with an everlasting love, 
redeemed by his death, enlightened by his truth, sanc- 
tified by his Spirit, cheered, comforted by his promises, 
delivered from the dominion of death by his power, 
glorified, exalted to heaven, reigning with him, per. 
fectly happy in the immediate presence of our God, as 
trophies of his victorious, almighty grace ; this is 



The Christian's Inheritance. 361 

Christ's inheritance in the saints! And what an in- 
heritance ! Glorious ! Loved ! Rich beyond compare 
and beyond expression. What is your most precious 
and highly valued inheritance ? Is it not your chil- 
dren ? They were born to you ; you gave birth to 
them ; they bear your image ; you watched over them 
in their infancy and helplessness ; affection you lavished 
upon them without stint; you have suffered, and are 
willing to suffer more for them ; and however much 
you may value earthly treasures, you value them more. 
Christ's redeemed are his children ; he has loved them 
with an everlasting love ; and in that day, when the 
marriage of the Lamb is come, he will say : " Behold, 
I, and the children whom thou hast given me ! " The 
bridegroom is happy in the flush and glow of a newly 
wedded love. Now/ the Christ is the husband; the 
church is his bride. And how read we? " With the 
joy of the bridegroom over the bride, so shall thy God 
rejoice over thee." " I will rejoice over thee to do 
thee good ; rejoice over thee with my whole heart, and 
with my whole soul." Such is our Lord's inheritance 
in the saints, and such is his affection for his own. 

Our second thought is the inheritance of the saints. 
And let it be distinctly premised that, in order to have 
this inheritance, and the hope of it in the life to come, 
we must be saints ; holy ones, pure in heart, righteous 
in life, set apart by personal consecration to God and 
his service. In the first chapter of Ephesians the 
apostle says: " In Christ we have obtained the inherit- 
ance, being predestined according to his will." In the 
third chapter of Titus the inspired writer says : " Hav- 
ing been justified by his grace, we are made heirs 
according to the hope of eternal life." And in the 



362 Sermons. 

text Peter writes : ' ' Blessed be the God and Father of 
our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath begotten us to an in- 
heritance, incorruptible and undefiled and unfading." 
From these passages the following statements may be 
affirmed as certainly true : 

(1) The inheritance is in Christ ; consequently we 
must be in Christ, be associated with him, become 
identified with him, be made one with him in spirit, 
life, purpose, that we may have the hope of it. 

(2) Heirship with God, and joint heirship with 
Christ, is subsequent to justification. ' ' Being justified, 
we are made heirs according to the hope of eternal 
life." 

(3) The basis of the hope of our inheritance is the 
resurrection of Christ. Through the resurrection of 
the Redeemer we are begotten to this living, certain 
and enduring hope. Are you in Christ ? Are you 
justified in his grace ? Do you rejoice in his resurrec- 
tion as his great triumph over death, and as giving us the 
hope of immortality ? Then is the inheritance yours. 
What, then, do we inherit ? In the words of the apos- 
tle, "all things." "All things are yours; whether 
Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or 
death, or things present, or things to come ; all are 
yours." This is an apostolic inventory of the Chris- 
tian's estate, or inheritance. All teachers are ours; the 
world is ours ; life and death are both ours ; things 
present and things in the infinite future are ours. 

Let us give a brief summary or specification of the 
Christian's inheritance. First, we inherit God. The 
Most High, the Supreme Being, the Almighty Father, 
in his adorable perfections, in his infinite attributes, in 
the immensity of his nature, in the plentitude of his 



The Christian's Inheritance. 363 

grace, in the boundlessness of his love, in his power, 
majesty, glory and compassion, in all that he is, and in 
all that he has, he is ours, so that we can say: "O 
God, thou art my God." And is not God able to 
supply all our need, and out of his unwasting fullness 
to satisfy our wants and necessities, however great 
they may be? Is not God enough ? 

(2) We inherit the Christ. Jesus is ours, our Sav- 
iour, Redeemer, Prophet, Priest, King, Intercessor, 
Advocate, Friend, Brother, Helper, ours in his un- 
searchable riches, in his undying affection, in his 
quenchless love, in the greatness of his salvation, in 
the perfection of his sacrifice and redemption, in his 
Sympathy and compassion, in his mighty power to de- 
fend us, in his grace and goodness, ours in his whole 
being, ours now, ours for evermore. O Christ ! what a 
treasure art thou ! What an inheritance ! Thy worth 
and preciousness, who can utter? If thou art forgot- 
ten, who is worth remembering? " Let my right 
hand forget her cunning ; and let my tongue cleave to 
the roof of my mouth, if I forget thee, O precious 
and glorious Son of God." Ours thou art, to save us 
from our sins, to enlighten our mind by thy truth, to 
renew our hearts by thy Spirit, to cheer us by thy 
promises, to comfort us on our way toward heaven, to 
bid us welcome in the heavenly world after we shall 
have passed over the river. Possessing Christ, we pos- 
sess everything, wisdom, strength, righteousness and 
holiness. 

(3) In virtue of our relationship to God as his chil- 
dren we inherit salvation. Salvation, not simply in the 
sense of remission, or release from the sins of the past, 
but salvation in the sense of restoration to immortal 



364 " Sermons. 

life in the kingdom of glory, deliverance from the 
power of death in the resurrection at the last day, and 
ascension to the heavenly world, forever triumphant 
over sin and death, and chance and time. 

(4) We inherit the kingdom ; the kingdom of God, 
the kingdom of heaven with all its blessings, privileges 
and exalted honors. Jesus says: "Fear not, little 
flock ; it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the 
kingdom." And James writes thus: "Did not God 
choose the poor as to this world to be rich in faith, and 
heirs of the kingdom which he promised to them that 
love him ? " 

(5) We inherit glory. "The wise shall inherit 
glory," the Scriptures say. Glory eternal, glory ever- 
lasting, an exceeding and eternal weight of glory, the 
glory of the most high God himself. Into his glory 
we shall enter ; this glory we shall enjoy. 

(6) The Christian will inherit heaven, with its per- 
fection, beauty, purity, joy, holiness and service ; it will 
be our final and permanent home, and our glorious in- 
heritance. "The hope which is laid up for you in 
heaven," are the words of the apostle. " Our citizen- 
ship is in heaven." There is our home forever, O for- 
ever ! No death, mourning, sorrow or sickness there. 
No night there ; no temptation or infirmity there. 

The Christian's inheritance, which I have thus 
faintly presented before you, is described by four ad- 
jectives, [or qualifying words. Eternal, everlasting, 
endless. The called have the promise of the eternal 
inheritance, says the holy apostle. It is incorruptible, 
imperishable. Unlike the treasures of earth, it will 
never perish. Undefiled, unsoiled, uncontaminated, 
unfading. Like the crown of glory, it will never fade 



The Christian's Inheritance. „ 365 

away ; it is an enduring possession. Lastly, it is re- 
served in heaven for those who are kept, by the power 
of God, through faith, for the salvation ready to be 
revealed in the last time,/, e., for the resurrection 
from the dead in the likeness of the Son of God. 

Have you the hope of this inheritance ? Are you 
personally interested in it ? Are you living with refer- 
ence to it, and for it ? May God give us the grace so 
to live and to do, for his name's sake. 



THE MINISTRY OF ANGELS. 

Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of 
God ; angels and authorities and powers being made subject 
unto him. (I. Peter iii. 22). 

This is an allusion to the Lord Jesus Christ in his 
exaltation. It is a saying of John Milton, that "mil- 
lions of spiritual creatures walk the earth unseen, both 
when we wake and when we sleep." Of the great 
universe, of which we form a part, and in the midst of 
which we are, we see but a v^ery small portion. The 
number of heavenly bodies that is visible to the naked 
eye is small compared to the number that is invisible. 
There are immense bodies, the centers of vast systems 
of blazing stars and hosts of flaming, brilliant lumi- 
naries, that are invisible to our unaided vision, because 
situated at such inconceivable and immeasurable dis- 
tances from us. Vaster in bulk, and more immense 
in all their proportions than the sun, they roll in 
solemn silence through the depth of infinite space, 
obeying the high behests of their great Creator. ' ' The 
heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament 
showeth his handiwork." "When I consider the 
heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars 
which thou hast ordained, what is man that thou art 
mindful of him ? " Astronomy is not only the oldest, 
but also the most elevating and ennobling of the sci- 
ences ; and the study of it, next to the Holy Bible, im- 
proves thehuman intellect, enlarges the human under- 

366 



The Ministry of Angels. 367 

standing and gives us correct and just conceptions 
of the attributes, majesty, power and glory of the 
Almighty Father, the adorable God, whose we are, 
and whom we all ought to serve in the gospel 
of his grace. Again, there is a universe, a vast 
multiplicity of objects, so small that they can not 
be seen with the naked eye. Human vision must be 
aided by the microscope in order to see them. Perhaps 
you have examined a drop of water through a micro- 
scope ; if so, you saw living creatures apparently an 
inch long, active, swimming about, going from place 
to place, like a whale in the ocean. The wing of a 
butterfly, how beautiful and gorgeous it looks when 
viewed through a microscope ! Not only are there 
bodies of immense size and enormous proportions so 
distant that they can not be seen by the unaided eye, 
and bodies so small that, though very near, they can 
not be seen, but there are intelligent beings created 
by Jehovah, a race and an order of beings superior in 
intellect to man, of great wisdom, strength and power, 
who assist the mighty God in the government of the 
universe, who execute his judgments, fulfill his pur- 
poses, obey his directions ; beings of wondrous power, 
great intelligence, swftness of movement and celerity 
of motion ; who are here, right by us and around about 
us as often as occasion demands, who see us, who per. 
form various important offices on our behalf, yet are 
unseen by us. In the text three different designations 
are given to these invisible beings, ' * angels and au- 
thorities and powers." Angels, i. e. y messengers, intelli- 
gent creatures sent with messages from God to men on 
earth, or the inhabitants of other worlds. Authorities, 
because invested with authority over others weaker 



368 Sermons. 

than themselves, and who may need such aid, help and 
protection as they can give. Powers, because they 
exercise wondrous power in the administration of the 
affairs of the universe. In addition to these designa- 
tions they are called "principalities, might and do- 
minion," or lordship. Names, all of them, that de- 
signate an order, or orders of intelligent beings supe- 
rior to man in his present state or condition ; of vast 
knowledge, endowed with the power of most rapid 
motion, of great benevolence, of complete obedience 
and subjection to the divine will ; beings whom God 
loves, and whom he honors in making them his assist- 
ants in directing and managing the intricate and com- 
plicated affairs of his vast and boundless universe. 
They differ among themselves in the positions they 
occupy, and in the extent of the authority they pos- 
sess. To two of them are given in the Scriptures 
specific names, and one of these is called the arch- 
angel. Archangel means chief angel, and the word is 
never used in the plural number; there is but one arch- 
angel. "Michael, the archangel, when contending 
with the devil, he disputed about the body of Moses." 
The name of the other is Gabriel, the angel sent to 
answer the prayer of Daniel the prophet when in Baby- 
lon. In the Old Testament they are called "chariots 
of God and horses of fire." Of angels, their activities, 
ministries, and the services they render in heaven and 
on earth, we only know what is revealed ; the Bible is 
our book of information ; and it is well for us to look 
upward, above the fleeting, the transient, the tempo- 
rary, and have a deep-settled and strong conviction as 
to the reality of spiritual entities, and unseen glorious 
beings. "We look," says the apostle, "not at the 



The Ministry of Angels. 369 

things that are seen ; but at the things that are unseen ; 
for the things that are seen are temporal, but the things 
that are unseen are eternal. " Men are the dupes of 
their senses ; they are enslaved by those things that the 
eye can see, and the ear hear, and the hands handle. 
We should seek emancipation from this slavery of the 
senses, and rest on an unseen Saviour, and believe 
what the Scriptures teach, that the mighty universe is 
vocal with the perpetual praise of angelic beings. 

Consider their great number. David says : "The 
chariots of God are twenty thousand, even many 
thousands of angels." Daniel says : "Thousand thou- 
sands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten 
thousand stood before him." The apostle says: " We 
have come to an innumerable company of angels." 
St. John says : "I beheld, and I heard the voices of 
many angels round about the throne, and the number 
of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and 
thousands of thousands." These definite figures stand 
for an indefinitely great number which can not be 
computed. 

Notice their strength, as it is exhibited in acts per- 
formed by them. The psalmist says : "They excel in 
strength." The apostle Peter writes: "They are 
greater in power and might than man.'" Their strength 
is manifested in what they are able to do. In the time 
of Hezekiah, king of Judah, Sennacherib, the king of 
Assyria, came up against Jerusalem for the purpose of 
capturing it. Having encamped near the city before 
commencing the attack, he sent a threatening and blas- 
phemous letter to him demanding his surrender, and de- 
claring the inability of Hezekiah's God to prevent the 
accomplishment of his object. Hezekiah received the 



370 - Sermons. 

letter from the hand of the messengers by whom it was 
brought, read it, went up into the temple and spread it 
before the Lord. He made the whole matter a subject 
of earnest prayer ; he sought advice, direction and as- 
sistance from Jehovah ; the city was in danger ; a vast 
heathen army was encamped near it, threatening its 
destruction, and he cried to the God of Israel. An 
answer came: "Thus saith the Lord concerning the 
king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor 
shoot an arrow there, for I will defend this city to save 
it." " And it came to pass that night thatan angel of 
the Lord went out and smote in the camp of the 
Assyrians an hundred and four-score and five thou- 
sand." Daniel, for praying to Jehovah when forbid- 
den by the king, was cast into the den of lions. God 
sent an angel, shut the lions' mouths, that they hurt 
him not. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, because 
they would not worship the great image which Nebu- 
chadnezzar the king set up in the plain of Dura, in the 
province of Babylon, were bound and thrown into the 
midst of a burning fiery furnace, heated seven times hot- 
ter than it was wont to be heated. God sent his angel, 
who delivered his servants that trusted in him, and 
prevented the fire from having the least power upon 
their bodies ; not a hair of their head was singed, not a 
garment on their persons was scorched, and the smell 
of fire did not pass on them. How mighty in strength 
are the angels of God ! Consider the swiftness of their 
motion. They abide in heaven. They are presence- 
angels, i. e. y they stand in the presence of God, from 
whom they receive commands which they go forth to 
execute. Heaven may be nearer than mortals think. 
We are accustomed to think of it as a great way off, 



The Ministry of Angels. 371 

but however great the distance between heaven and 
earth, angels can traverse it in a very short space of 
time. Daniel is in Babylon ; he has been there for 
seventy years ; the time draws near for the return of 
the Jews from their captivity ; he prays ; he confesses 
his own sins, and the sins of the people ; he pleads for 
the fulfillment of the divine promises. " While I was 
speaking," the prophet says, "Gabriel, being caused 
to fly swiftly, touched me at the time of evening 
prayer, and said, O Daniel, at the beginning of thy* 
supplication, the commandment came forth, and in 
obedience thereto I am come to show thee ; for thou 
art greatly beloved." How marvelous is this narra- 
tive ! No sooner do the words of supplication pass out 
from the prophet's lips than the command is given to 
one of the presence-angels, " Go thou ; " and leaving 
heaven, he flies swiftly to the prostrate suppliant, and 
touches him bodily., and talks with him audibly, and 
assures him that his desire is given to him. ' ' I am 
come to thee, O man, greatly beloved. I am com- 
missioned to instruct and to strengthen thee." Thus 
angels answer prayer. Gabriel answered Daniel's 
prayer or rather Jehovah through Gabriel. The same 
angel answered the prayer of Zachariah in the temple 
(Luke i. 10-14). Cornelius' prayers were also answered 
by an angel (Acts x. 3, 4). And Jesus, when in the 
garden, was thus answered (Luke xxii. 41-43). 

As to the saints, angels not only answer their 
prayers, but minister to them, and serve them in vari- 
ous ways. The particulars or details of the service 
they render to the children of God are not revealed ; 
the fact of their ministry and service is plainly affirmed 
in Scripture. "Are they not all ministering spirits 



372 Sermons. 

sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of 
salvation. " " The angel of the Lord encampeth round 
about them that fear him, and delivereth them. " They 
rejoice over repentant sinners (Luke xv. 7-10). 
They have charge of all believers ; they are guardians 
of the saints (Matthew xviii. 10, 1 1). At death they 
conduct the spirits of the righteous to paradise 
(Luke xvi. 22). 

And in the future life, after the resurrection, angels 
• will be the companions of the redeemed in glory 
(Matthew xxii. 29, 30). It is thus evident that the 
angels are deeply interested in us, in our redemption, 
in our preservation, and in our preparation for an 
eternal abode with them in heaven. Into the great 
things revealed to us in the Holy Scriptures, into the 
mysteries of the plan of redemption through Christ, 
they desire to look. And to the principalities and 
powers in the heavenly places is being made known 
through the church the manifold wisdom of God. In 
general terms it may be said that the angels assist 
Jehovah in the great affairs of the world, and of his 
vast domain. " He is a great God and a great king 
above all gods, and over all the universe, the work of 
his hands." Wherever, throughout the realms of in- 
finite space, Jehovah has exerted his creative power 
in calling worlds into existence, and in peopling them 
with intelligent beings, there he is in his providence 
and superintendence, upholding, directing and con- 
trolling all ; but he enlists in his service the holy angels, 
and uses them to promote and carry forward the 
beneficent ends he has in view. Michael is called the 
archangel, the first of Jehovah's princes, who came to 
help Gabriel. Earthly kings and monarchs need coun- 



The Ministry of Angels. 373 

selors, cabinet officers, trusted friends, whom they 
take into their confidence, place at the heads of the 
different departments, and through them carry on the 
vast operations of government. For instance, the 
laws of the United States are operative in every part 
of this great nation ; and in their execution the 
President, who is the chief executive officer of the 
government, is supposed to be present, not personally, 
but in the judges whom he appoints. So Jehovah, 
in conducting the vast and complicated affairs of the 
interests of his government, employs the angels whom 
he sends from his presence in heaven, to all the various 
portions of his boundless empire on errands of love, 
of service, and on ministrations of good to their fel- 
low-beings. Thus, the stronger serve the weaker, the 
higher serve the lower, the wiser the less wise, the 
purer the less pure. The ministry of angels in con- 
nection with the Lord Christ and his work of redemp- 
tion is an interesting branch of this subject, but I can 
only glance at it. 

An angel announced his miraculous conception. 
An angel proclaimed his birth to the shepherds on the 
plains around Bethlehem. 

The angels ministered to his wants, bringing him 
food to eat after his temptation and fasting in the 
wilderness. 

Angels preserved him in danger, and in the perils 
to which he was exposed during his public ministry. 
Every hour he was seen by the angels. 

An angel strengthened him in his agony in the gar- 
den. They announced his resurrection and ascension ; 
and as he ascended to the throne they accompanied 
him ; they were his escorts, and seeing him crowned 



374 Sermons. 

with glory and honor at the Father's right hand, they 
swept their golden harps, and cried, "The glorious 
work is done." And now the angels in heaven wor- 
ship the Christ, the Lamb who sits upon the throne. 
They are subject to him, his messengers, his servants, 
sent forth by him for the sake of ministration to those 
who are to inherit salvation. The angels will be the 
future companions of the saints. The redeemed will 
be made equal to the angels. In heaven we will have 
good company, excellent teachers, if we need teachers, 
genial companions, and wise elder brethren. 



THE SECOND ADVENT OF CHRIST. 

Take ye heed, watch and pray ; for ye know not when 
the time is. For the Son of man is as a man taking a far 
journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his ser- 
vants, and to every man his work, and commanded the por- 
ter to watch. Watch ye, therefore ; for ye know not when 
the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or 
at the cockcrowing, or in the morning : lest coming sud- 
denly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say 
unto all, Watch. (Mark xiii. 33-37). 

That Jesus the Christ, our Lord and Saviour, our 
great king and mighty deliverer, the author and finisher 
of the faith, will come again is clearly revealed in the 
New Testament ; that he will return to this world, into 
which he came once to save sinners, on which he lived, 
went about doing good, died and was buried, and 
from which he ascended into heaven, is plainly taught 
in his holy word. No truth of divine revelation is 
more evident than this. He came once in weakness ; 
he will come again in mighty power. He came once 
in humiliation ; he will be revealed from heaven on a 
future day in majesty and glory. He came once as the 
babe of Bethlehem ; he will come again as a conquer- 
ing king. He came once in the flesh in order that the 
world through him might be saved ; he will come again 
to judge the world in righteousness, and the people 
with his truth. 

The evidence of our Saviour's return to this world 

is threefold. His own promises ; the testimony of 

375 



37°" Sermons. 

the angels who saw him ascend ; the oft repeated 
statements of the inspired apostles. To his troubled 
disciples Jesus said : " Let not your heart be troubled. 
Believe on God ; believe also on me," etc. This is by 
no means the only passage in which our Lord promises 
to come again, but it is plain, distinct, definite, and 
we need not now quote more. On this promise we 
confidently rely. We expect our Saviour's second 
advent; we look forward to it as the consummation of 
our redemption, as the fulfillment of our most cherished 
hopes, and as the complete realization of our fondest 
expectations. With the beloved disciple we say, 
"Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly." From Mount 
Olivet he ascended into heaven. His disciples looked 
steadfastly toward heaven as he went up. Two angels 
were there, who said to the disciples: " Men of Gali- 
lee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven ? this same 
Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven shall so 
come in like manner as ye have seen him go up into 
heaven." He ascended in a cloud, and it is written, 
"Behold, he cometh with clouds, and every eye shall 
see him." In I. Thessalonians the apostle says: " The 
Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, 
with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump 
of God." Peter, in the first chapter of his first letter, 
twice uses the expression, "the revelation of Jesus 
Christ," referring to his future personal manifestation in 
glory at the conclusion of this age. The apostle John 
writes : " When he is manifested, we shall be like him, 
for we shall see him as he is." Indeed, our Saviour's 
second advent, coupled with the purposes for which he is 
coming, and with the great events which will take place 
when he comes, is the hope of the church, in which hope 



The Second Advent of Christ. 377 

all true believers greatly rejoice. The manner of his 
coming is revealed. He will come suddenly. "Watch, 
lest coming suddenly, he find you sleeping." He 
will come in majesty, power and great glory, sur- 
rounded by an innumerable company of angels. He is 
coming to ransom his people from the dominion of 
death, and from the hand of the grave ; to end the 
work of his beginning ; to perfect our salvation by 
raising us from the dead and glorifying us with him- 
self; he is coming to take to himself his great power 
and to reign ; and, finally, to judge the world in right- 
eousness. 

Now, during our Lord's absence, while he is pre- 
paring a place for us in heaven, fitting our mansions 
which eternally shall stand, what are we to do ? How 
are we to occupy ourselves ? This is the important 
question I wish now to answer. In view of the great 
revealed truth that our Lord will certainly come again, 
and for the purposes named, and in view of the uncer- 
tainty as to the exact time when he will come, what 
has he told us to do ? What duties has he enjoined 
upon us ? The following ; to watch ; to wait ; to 
wrestle ; to work. Do these, and you will have the 
divine Master's approval, and all will be well with you 
both in time and eternity. 

The first duty enjoined is watchfulness. Four times 
within the space of so many verses is the command to 
watch repeated, and with direct reference to our igno- 
rance as to the precise hour or day of our Lord's 
return. "Take ye heed, watch; for you know not 
when the time is." The time is unrevealed. You 
know it not; the angels know it not; it is a secret 
known only to the Father ; therefore, watch ; be always 



378 Sermons. 

ready. To watch is to be awake, to be attentive, to 
be vigilant and circumspect. It is used in contrast 
with and in opposition to sleeping. ' ' Watch, lest 
coming suddenly he find you asleep." Two days after- 
ward, when in the garden, he withdrew from Peter, 
James and John about a stone's throw, and kneeling 
down, he prayed ; and rising from prayer, he returned 
and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, " Simon, 
sleepest thou ? Couldst thou not watch with me one 
hour?" 

The word sleep is used in the Scriptures in a figur- 
ative sense to denote spiritual death, moral insensi- 
bility, religious deadness, indifference, carelessness, 
lethargy, sloth. "Awake, thou that sleepest; and 
arise from the dead." A man who is careless as to his 
own moral condition and standing in the sight of God, 
insensible to spiritual and eternal things, and to the 
great matters of the divine law, who, like Gallio, is in- 
different about the demands of God and the gospel, 
who is not controlled in his life and conduct by those 
motives that ought to sway every human being, who 
is living for this world, and not the world to come ; 
such a man is, in Scripture style, said to be asleep, 
and he who is in a state of mind just the opposite of 
all this is awakened, or is watching. Watch over your 
own heart, set a watch upon your lips ; watch as to your 
own growth in grace and increasing meetness for the 
kingdom of heaven ; watch for your Lord's return, lest 
coming suddenly he find you sleeping. 

The second duty enjoined by Christ on his disciples 
is to wait, and chiefly for the same object for which 
we are to watch. While the word wait is not in the 
text, it is in numerous other texts. Before the coming 



The Second Advent of Christ. 379 

of the Messiah, the pious and faithful during the patri- 
archal and Jewish ages waited for its coming. They 
waited in faith, in hope, in expectation, in prayer and 
earnest longing. 

Looking forward by faith in the divine promise and 
prophecy to the coming of the world's Redeemer, they 
proclaimed : ' ' In that day it shall be said, Lo, this is 
our God ; we have waited for him \i. e. , for his coming] ; 
he will save us ; this is the Lord ; we have waited for 
him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation." 

We read of Simeon, a man just and devout, wno 
was waiting for the consolation of Israel ; of Anna, a 
prophetess, who had been a widow even for fourscore 
and four years, who departed not from the temple, 
worshiping with fastings and supplications night and 
day ; who gave thanks to God, and spoke of the new- 
born Saviour to all them that were waiting for the re- 
demption of Israel ; of Joseph of Arimathea, a good 
man and a righteous, who was waiting for the king- 
dom of God. 

In the fullness of time the " desire of all nations" 
came. He founded a new kingdom on his own death 
and resurrection. He clothed the apostles as his am- 
bassadors with full power to execute his will. They 
preached the gospel and organized the church into 
which believers of all nations were gathered. And in 
the apostolic letters written to the various churches 
established in the first century we often find the word 
wait. For what are the disciples of Christ to wait ? 
Wait for the Son of God from heaven. Our citizen- 
ship is in heaven, from whence also we look for the 
Lord Jesus ; waiting for the revelation of the Lord 
Jesus Christ ; waiting for the blessed hope and appear- 



380 Sermons. 

ing of the glory of our Lord ; waiting for the adop- 
tion, viz., the redemption or resurrection of our body; 
waiting for the revelation of the sons of God. To 
those who wait for him he will appear a second time 
without a sin-offering for salvation. 

What then is the true and scriptural attitude of the 
church ? Manifestly, the attitude of waiting. This 
always, and under every dispensation, has been the at- 
titude of the pious, faithful and believing. Our expec- 
tation is from him, and we are to wait till he comes 
and fulfills his own promises. And the great, chief, 
principal thing for which we are to wait is the revela- 
tion of the Lord Jesus Christ who will come again. 
Everything depends on this — -our resurrection, our 
glorification, the judgment of the world in righteous- 
ness, and the fulfillment of the divine promises, and the 
realization of our fondest and most cherished hopes. 
And remember that we serve our Lord Christ in 
waiting for him, in longing and praying for his return 
to glory. 

The third duty before us is expressed by the word 
wrestle. We must all, like Jacob, be wrestlers. 
We must wrestle in prayer for divine help and power 
to obtain the victory ; and we must wrestle with the 
unseen, invisible forces of evil that are opposing us, 
and seeking our overthrow. We must pray, pray 
much, pray often, pray earnestly, and through suppli- 
cation and prayer seek help, strength, succor and wis- 
dom, or we will fail in the struggle for the crown of 
righteousness and the eternal inheritance. 

Jacob wrestled with God one whole night, and he 
prevailed ; he was successful. By his strength he had 
power with God ; he was a prince, or behaved himself 



The Second Advent of Christ. 381 

princely toward God ; yea, he had power over the angel, 
and prevailed ; he wept and made supplication to him, 
and found him in Bethelem. By that night's wrestling 
Jacob was changed in heart, and in all the purposes of 
his soul, and consequently there was begun a change 
for the better in his life and character, and from that 
memorable night onward to the end of his days there 
is nothing charged against Jacob ; he was pious, truth- 
ful, sincere and godly. 

Now, the sacred writer says: "You see in Jacob 
an example of prevailing prayer ; of success in wrest- 
ling with God. Go thou and do likewise. Turn thou 
to thy God ; keep mercy and judgment, and wait on thy 
God continually." O the soul that prays not is dead, 
insensible to its dangers and the perils that surround it. 

Again, there are unseen evil powers, spiritual hosts 
of wickedness, against which we must wrestle. We 
wrestle, or our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, 
not simply human agencies, but against the principali- 
ties, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness 
of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high 
places." There are evil as well as good angels ; and 
while the good angels are our helpers and ministering 
spirits, the evil angels are opposed to us. They, with 
Satan himself, seek our destruction. They influence 
men for evil ; hence we must resist them and fight our 
way onward and upward. ' * My soul, be on thy guard ; 
ten thousand foes arise ; the hosts of sin are pressing 
hard to draw thee from the skies." 

The fourth duty enjoined upon us by our Lord, 
and which we are to perform during his absence, is ex- 
pressed by the term work. ' ' Go into my vineyard 
and work," is the command of the Master. We are 



382 Sermons. 

workers together with God, says the apostle. Chris- 
tians are called "laborers" and " fellow- workers for 
the kingdom of God." 

And in the day of final reckoning the Lord of the 
vineyard will say to the angels, " Call the laborers and 
pay them their hire." We have a great work to do 
for God, for Christ, for humanity. And this work is 
threefold ; it relates (1) to ourselves, (2) to the church, 
and (3) to the world. 

* ' Work out your own salvation with fear and trem- 
bling, " says the apostle. "To work out " means to 
effect by labor and exertion ; to produce by earnest 
endeavor as a final result. We have a great and im- 
portant work to do in and for and upon ourselves, in 
purifying our own hearts and making ourselves ready 
for the marriage supper of the Lamb. As the sculptor 
with chisel and mallet in hand, by patient unremitting 
toil fashions, shapes and moulds the block of unhewn 
marble into the beautiful statue, which delights the eye 
of the beholder, so we by personal effort and in the 
diligent use of all needful means are to mould ourselves 
after the pattern of Christ, and into conformity to his 
image and will. Again, we are to work for the good 
of the church of which we are members. To be a 
member of the church of God is the highest honor 
that can be conferred on mortal man. It is to be a 
child of God, a joint heir with Christ, the inheritor of 
a kingdom and of eternal riches. It is to occupy 
and be raised to a position above that in which the 
angels stand. And the peace of the church, the pros- 
perity of the church, the growth of the church, her 
honor, her good name, her reputation, her standing in 
the community, are to be dear to every member of the 



The Second Advent of Christ. 383 

church. Your place in the house of God you are to 
fill ; and if you do not look upon this as a great privi- 
lege and derive from it personal enjoyment and spir- 
itual edification, you are at fault ; you need a more 
thorough conversion, and to come under the constrain- 
ing power of love to Christ. 

The services of the church you are to attend regu- 
larly ; at her prayer-meetings, meetings for praise, for 
devotion, for worship and instruction, you are to be 
present ; and by your personal interest in all these, by 
your prayerful spirit and reverent demeanor you are to 
show that you appreciate the worth of the church and 
understand what she does for you in lifting you from 
sin to God, in transforming your moral nature, and in 
making you meet for the inheritance of the saints in 
light. 

Finally, we are to work for the conversion of sin- 
ners, and the turning of the world to God. This is the 
great work of the church, her mission, indeed, and 
with this end in view she is to labor, to give and to 
pray. This is to rest as a mighty burden upon our 
hearts ; our children's conversion, our neighbors' con- 
version, the conversion of our fellow-men all about us; 
in short, the growth of Christ's kingdom in every part 
of the earth. Our piety, our love to God and man, 
are measured by this ; by what we do, and what we 
give to extend the gospel in its purity and power, 
and in the salvation it offers to perishing men all over 
the globe. 

And that this work may be carried on and accom- 
plished, organization is necessary. Each denomination 
must be organized to do the work it feels called upon 
to do for humanity, and each local church and congrega- 



384 Sermons. 

tion needs to be organized to do effectively its own 
special work. What does our text say ? ' ■ To each 
one his work has been given by the Master. " No one 
is exempt. All must work in some way or other for 
the glory of Christ and the good of men. Experience 
shows this, which every pastor will corroborate, and 
which every Christian worker knows to be true. Of 
those disciples who can not be enlisted in some kind of 
Christian work, labor or service two things are true. 
First, they never develop into strong, earnest Christian 
men and women ; and, secondly, sooner or later, they 
backslide. Hence, in order to grow, and to keep from 
backsliding, each one must be engaged in actual service 
and in regular Christian endeavor. 

We should work now while we are young and 
strong ; for there will come a time when we can not 
work. We will be laid aside by sickness ; our strength 
will diminish, and we must suffer, not work ; if spared 
to be old, we can not work then. Old age brings 
weakness, infirmities, dimness of vision, a tottering 
step, and what can we do then but simply wait for the 
approach of death ? Every great consideration, there- 
fore, should impel us to faithful toil in the Lord's vine- 
yard. To each one his work. Have you found out 
what your work is, and are you earnestly doing it? If 
not, it is full time for you to begin. Do you say, I 
have no time for what you have been urging upon me ? 
No time ! Do you know that Christ's disciples are to 
make religion their business in this world ? and if you 
do, God will make it your blessedness. No time to 
read your Bible ? You will find time one day to be 
sick ; and when sick the Bible is the only book that can 
comfort you. No time to pray ? You will find time 



The Second Advent of Christ. 385 

to die. No time to reflect, to think seriously of your 
responsibilities, of your destiny and hope of heaven ? 
You find time to sin. No time to repent ? Then you 
will find an eternity in which repentance will be of no 
avail. No time to work for others ; to labor unselfishly 
for the good of your fellow-creatures ? Then you will 
find an eternity in which to suffer for yourself. Be- 
ware. Do not deceive thyself. To each one his work. 
Do that work bravely and patiently, looking only to 
Christ for your reward. 



THE RESURRECTION AND GLORIFICATION 
OF THE BODY. 

For our conversation is in heaven ; from whence also we 
look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: who shall 
change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his 
glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able 
even to subdue all things unto himself. (Philippians iii. 
20, 21). 

In the original, I mean the Greek New Testament, 
are two words, both of which in the common version 
are translated by the same term, but incorrectly, as 
every scholar who has inquired into their meaning 
knows full well. For example, in the first chapter of 
this letter to the Philippians, and according to the 
common version, the apostle says : ' ' Let your conver- 
sation be as becometh the gospel of Christ. " The 
word rendered "conversation" in this clause means 
deportment, behavior, conduct in general, demeanor, 
the way in which you carry youself both toward God 
and man. 

Again, in I. Peter, second chapter, it is written ac- 
cording to the same version : i ' Having your conver- 
sation honest among the Gentiles." Better, "hav- 
ing your deportment honorable among the Gen- 
tiles." In the text a different word is used by the 
sacred writer, yet it is translated by the same term, 
conversation. Two hundred and sixty years ago, 
when King James' version was made, the word conver- 
sation meant what deportment means now ; but such 



The Resurrection. 387 

is not its present signification, which is oral discourse, 
the interchange *of thoughts, opinions, sentiments, or 
views by means of spoken language. "Our conver- 
sation is in heaven." Is that true in the sense in 
which the word is now used ? Evidently not. Our 
conversation is here where we are, and the most of it 
is about earthly rather than heavenly things. "Our 
deportment is in heaven." Neither is this true in the 
absolute sense. We are here on the earth, confined 
thereto, and will be till we die, and our deportment is 
where we are. Here we live, act, exhibit ourselves, 
manifest our real character, and may form a character 
which will fit us for heaven in the future. It is mani- 
fest, therefore, that the translation must be amended 
somewhat, in order to express the exact thought of 
the inspired writer. Hence, in the revised version, 
also in that of the American Bible Union, the word is 
rightly rendered by the term "citizenship." Our 
citizenship is in heaven ; from whence also we look for 
the Saviour. That is strictly true ; it is a scriptural 
thought, and expresses the mind of the holy apostle. 
A man born in England has emigrated to this country ; 
he is asked the question, " Where is your citizenship ? " 
His answer is, "In England; I was born and brought 
up there, and I have not changed my citizenship." You 
cross the Atlantic and are in Great Britain, and are 
asked the same question, and you reply: "My citi- 
zenship is in the United States ; I was born there, and 
am a citizen thereof, and claim all the protection, 
rights and privileges of my country, and the whole 
power of the government is pledged to protect me in 
the full enjoyment of all my rights." You see, thus, 
that a man may be in one place, and his citizenship in 



388 Sermons. 

another, which is true of the Christian. We are here 
on the earth, and will remain here, till our Father calls 
us home ; but our citizenship is not here ; our home 
is not here. When we were born from above, born of 
heaven, born of God, were adopted into his great 
family, had our names written in the book of life, and 
became joint heirs with Christ according to the hope 
of glory, our citizenship was transferred from earth to 
heaven. We received the title and came into the en- 
joyment of the hope of a heavenly inheritance. What 
are we? The Scripture says: " Pilgrims, strangers 
and sojourners on the earth ; " here we have no abiding 
city ; we are looking, with Abraham of old, for a city 
out of sight — a city which has foundations, whose 
builder and maker is God. This is the first thought 
expressed by the apostle in this precious text : " Our 
citizenship is in heaven," or because the word is plural 
in the original, in the heavens. 

He adds further: " From whence \i. e., from which 
heavens] we look [or wait] for the Saviour, the Lord 
Jesus Christ." Our Saviour will come again. Before 
leaving the world he himself distinctly promised that 
he would come back to this earth. * ' I go to prepare 
a place for you ; and if I go and prepare a place for 
you, I will come again." The angels who were present 
at the moment of his ascension said to the disciples : 
"This same Jesus, who is taken up from you into 
heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen 
him go into heaven." The apostles, in their letters, 
speak of his future revelation or final manifestation in 
glory at the end of the Christian age. " When Christ, 
our life, shall be manifested, then will ye also with him 
be manifested in glory." And in another letter he 



The Resurrection. 389 

says: "You turned to God from idols to serve the 
living and true God." And Peter, in the first chapter 
of his first letter, uses two or three times the phrase, 
"at the revelation of Jesus Christ. ,, "Your faith will 
be found unto praise and honor and glory at the revela- 
tion of Jesus Christ." And again: "Grace will be 
brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ" — 
grace in our resurrection, in the redemption of our 
body, and its salvation from the consequences of sin, 
and from the dominion of death. 

The true attitude of the church is here set forth. 
She is in a waiting posture ; her face is turned heaven- 
ward ; by faith she penetrates beyond and behind the 
veil, into the holy of holies, where the great High 
Priest is, and she is waiting and looking for his return 
in glory, accompanied by his saints and angels, for the 
redemption of his church. The church says, in the 
words of the apostle, words with which the word of 
God closes, "Come quickly; amen; come, Lord 
Jesus." Well, when he comes, what will he do ? We 
are told in the text of one great thing that he will do. 
When he comes " he will change, " fashion anew, as it is 
in the revised version, or transform, as it is in the 
Bible Union version, not our vile body — that is not 
the meaning of the apostle. Vile signifies that which 
is bad, evil, depraved, sinful, wicked. Such evil moral 
qualities are expressed by the word vile ; but the Chris- 
tian's body is a member of Christ, a temple of the 
Holy Spirit; with it we glorify God. and it is to be 
glorified with Christ, and therefore it is not vile in the 
common acceptation of the word ; but it is a humbled 
body, or literally a body of humiliation ; it has been 
humbled and brought very low by sin ; it must be laid 



39° Sermons. 

low in the grave ; the heart is still ; the pulse is motion- 
less ; the eyes are closed : no blood circulates through 
the veins; it must be borne forth and deposited 
in the tomb. It is, indeed, a body of humilia- 
tion. But the Lord Christ will speak; he will exert 
his mighty power; he will change, mold over, trans- 
form, fashion anew the body of our humiliation. 

And the degree or extent of the change that will 
pass upon it, and to which it will be subjected, is ex- 
pressed in the clause immediately following: "That it 
may be conformed to the body of his glory," which is 
the Hebrew method of saying, "his glorious body." 
That is, when we awake from the sleep of death, we 
shall find ourselves in the perfect likeness of Christ, 
with a body glorious, and glorified like his. Those 
living at the time of Christ's manifestation will be 
changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at 
the last trump ; for the trumpet will sound, and the 
dead will be raised incorruptible, and the living shall 
be changed. For this corruptible body must put on 
incorruption. Our Saviour's glorious body is the 
archetype, model, or pattern of that glorious and im- 
mortal body which each one of his redeemed will have 
in the resurrection, and throughout eternal ages. As 
he, in his character, is the model of the Christian char- 
acter, so his body is the model after which our bodies 
will be molded and fashioned in the resurrection. 

Some object to the resurrection as being physically 
impossible. Our Lord's answer to that objection — 
and it is as old as the time of Christ — and also Paul's 
answer, is this : The power of God, his mighty 
power. The Sadducees said: "There is no resurrec- 
tion, neither angel nor spirit." Jesus replies: "You 



The Resurrection. 391 

err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of 
God." The resurrection is taught in the Scriptures ; it 
is distinctly promised ; it is held forth as the great and 
blessed hope of the Christian, and our God is able to 
do whatsoever he has promised. Abraham was strong 
in faith, giving glory to God, and was fully persuaded 
that what he promised he was fully able also to per- 
form. What God has done once he can do again, or 
repeat any number of times. Resurrections have 
already taken place. His own Son he raised from the 
dead and exalted to heaven. In his resurrection proof 
of mighty power was given. In the first chapter of 
Ephesians the apostle prays that "the eyes of our 
understanding may be enlightened, that we may know 
the exceeding greatness of his power which he wrought 
in Christ when he raised him from the dead, and seated 
him at his own right hand in the heavenly places." 
The same power that brought back our Lord from the 
dead can restore to life all the dead. Paul refers not 
only to the resurrection of the Saviour, but to the 
great and numerous bodies of the universe that God 
has made — earthly bodies, heavenly bodies, the sun, 
moon and stars, having different degrees of glory. 
God made them. All the different kinds of flesh, too, 
he made. Now, the argument is, he who made bodies 
so large, vast and numerous, and sustains them, can 
give to his redeemed a new, glorious and immortal 
body. Hence, the last clause in our text affirms that 
the resurrection, in the hope of which we wait, will be 
effected by divine power. " Christ will transform the 
body of our humiliation, that it may be conformed to 
the body of glory according to the working with which 
he is able also to subject all things to himself." Death, 



392 Sermons. 

as the last enemy, will be subdued to Christ. Victory 
over it will be given — victory by the exercise of 
Christ's mighty power. 

I have thus given you the principal thoughts in this 
passage, (i) Our citizenship is in heaven. That single 
statement of the apostle disposes at once and forever 
of the theory advocated by some, that this earth is to 
be the future, final and permanent home of the re- 
deemed. A man's home is where his citizenship is ; 
and our citizenship being in heaven, there is our home, 
not on earth. (2) For the Saviour to come forth from 
the heavens in which he now is, we wait and pray. 
His second advent, with its accompaniments, or the 
things that shall immediately succeed it, is the church's 
great and blessed hope, (3) When he comes he will 
swallow up death in victory ; he will redeem his elect 
from the hand of the grave. The bodies of the saints 
will undergo such a transformation as will make them 
like the glorious Son of God. (4) This transforma- 
tion will be effected by his mighty power, before which 
all things will be ultimately subdued. Thus will end 
the great and mysterious drama of human redemp- 
tion. "Time gone, the righteous saved, the wicked 
damned, and God's eternal government approved." 
And what beyond ? What after the resurrection ? 
And throughout everlasting ages? What? Heaven. 
Heaven, with its perfection and glory and service and 
happiness, all of which will be endless. As in ori- 
ental countries, at the time appointed for the marriage, 
the bridegroom came to the home of the bride, 
where the marriage ceremony was performed, and 
then, in a sort of triumphal procession, bore her away 
to his own home ; so the man Christ Jesus, the heav- 



The Resurrection. 393 

enly bridegroom, will come for his betrothed, his 
bride, and at his coming the marriage ceremony will 
be solemnized, and then will be fulfilled the words 
written : ' ' Let us rejoice and exult, and we will give 
to him the glory ; because the marriage of the Lamb is 
come, and his wife has made herself ready," ready for 
the wedding. "And to her was given that she 
should be clothed in fine linen, pure and shining ; "for 
the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints. And 
he says to me : " Write, happy they who are called to 
the marriage supper of the Lamb." 

And then, the marriage past, our divine Bride- 
groom in majesty, glory and grandest triumph, such as 
was never before seen in the universe, will bear away 
his redeemed bride to the home he is now preparing 
for her. to heaven, to the presence of the infinite 
Father. The world under foot, sin destroyed, the 
church redeemed, and heaven won through the atoning 
sacrifice and wondrous love of Christ, the saved, the 
ransomed, will enter upon a career of joy, felicity, 
and service that will be parallel with the years of God. 
What is heaven, and where is heaven ? To the first of 
these two questions I learned, when a boy, the fol- 
lowing answer, which I think a very good one : 
" Heaven is a glorious place, where the redeemed will 
be forever, praising God." It is a place, a city, a 
country, a home, a land, a bright and happy land, 
where flowers never fade, and fields are eternally fair. 
The exact location of heaven as a place in the uni- 
verse we can not determine, for it is not revealed ; but 
this we know — it is where God's throne is. " Heaven 
is my throne," saith Jehovah. It is where Christ is ; 
for he was taken up into heaven, and in the heavens 



394 Sermons. 

he now is. It is where the holy angels are ; for our 
Saviour tells us of the angels of God, who are in 
heaven. It is where the saints of all ages will meet 
and have their eternal abode. ' ' The joys of that 
place no tongue can tell, for there is the palace of 
God." 

But, though we can not determine the precise loca- 
tion of heaven, or say, positively, just where it is in 
the infinite domain of Jehovah, we do know, what is 
vastly more important, who will not be there, and who 
will. The unrighteous shall not inherit or enter into 
the kingdom of heaven ; the unholy, profane and im- 
pure will not be there ; the covetous, drunkards, 
revilers, extortioners and thieves will not be there ; 
" there shall not enter into heaven anything unclean or 
that works abomination or falsehood ; but they who 
are written in the Lamb's book of life." There will 
be no sin in heaven ; consequently no sorrow, suffer- 
ing, sighing, mourning or death. All its inhabitants 
are either pure and holy beings, who have never 
sinned, as the angels ; or sinners redeemed from sin 
and death by the power and grace of Jesus Christ, 
and by discipline and Christian culture have become 
established in righteousness, and confirmed in holiness, 
and will sin no more — no more at all forever. Heaven 
is for the redeemed, the holy, the sanctified, the regen- 
erated, for those who love God, who work righteous- 
ness, who live in charity toward their neighbor, who 
walk by faith in Christ, and long to be like him, and 
to be with him in glory. 

Come and go with us to this heavenly home! 
Come, and we will do thee good ; for the Lord has 
spoken good concerning his people. You need a 



The Resurrection. 395 

preparation. Seek it, O seek it ! Christ is the way. 
No other name will heaven approve ; no other name 
can save from endless woe. Choose him for thy por- 
tion ; take him as thy prophet, priest and king. Seek 
justification by faith in him and obedience to the gos- 
pel. And during life follow after that holiness, with- 
out which no one shall see the Lord. Come, come to 
Jesus, in him be blessed, and prepare for heaven and 
eternal life. In his precious name I invite thee, and 
bid thee come. 



THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST THE 
PROMISE OF OUR RESURRECTION. 

And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also 
raise up us by his own power. (I. Corinthians vi. 14). 

Knowing that he which would raise up the Lord Jesus 
shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with 
you. (II. Corinthians iv. 14). 

Benjamin Franklin was born in Boston, January 
17, 1706, and died in Philadelphia, April 17, 1790, at 
the advanced age of eighty-four. At the age of ten 
he was employed in cutting wicks for candles and at- 
tending the shop of his father, who was a tallow chan- 
dler and soap boiler in Boston. In early life he 
learned the trade of a printer ; and, manifesting an 
aptitude for study, by assiduous and diligent application 
he became one of the most learned, noted and dis- 
tinguished men of his time ; and exerted a widespread 
and beneficent influence, not only in this country, but 
also in England and France, to both of which countries 
he was sent on important missions by the government. 
He was the founder of the University of Pennsylvania, 
the founder of the American Philosophical Society, the 
inventor of the economical stove which bears his 
name, called the "Franklin Stove," the discoverer of 
electricity ; and the invention of the lightning rod was 
a practical application of his discovery of electricity. 
He was a man of great sagacity, practical wisdom, and 

good common sense ; and his career affords a practical 

396 



The Resurrection of Christ. . 397 

illustration of how much good may be accomplished 
by one person who is diligent, determined, resolved to 
effect something that will redound to the benefit of his 
fellow-men, and who is unflagging in the pursuit of 
that which is right, noble, and which tends to the im- 
provement of humanity. 

Many years before his death he wrote his own epi- 
taph, which has become famous, and which may be read 
on his tombstone in the church-yard at Philadelphia to- 
day. It is in the following words : ' ' The body of 
Benjamin Franklin, Printer (like the cover of an old 
book, its contents torn out and stript of its lettering 
and gilding), lies here food for worms. Yet the work 
itself shall not be lost, for it will (as he believed) ap- 
pear once more in a new and more beautiful edition, 
corrected and amended by the Author." When he 
died, more than twenty thousand persons assembled to 
do honor to his remains. 

I have made this allusion to Franklin, at the open- 
ing of this discourse, for the sake of the last sentence in 
the epitaph written by his own hand. It has been 
said that Benjamin Franklin was a deist, a disbeliever 
as to the origin and supernatural claims of the Chris- 
tian religion ; and he himself confesses that when young 
he had been a thorough deist, having become such 
through the reading of certain deistical works ; but in 
after life his reverence for religion and Christian institu- 
tions was manifest. It was he who made the motion 
for daily prayers in the Philadelphia convention that 
framed the Constitution of the United States. But on 
the supposition that he was a firm believer in the doc- 
trine of the future resurrection of the body he could 
not have expressed his faith in more expressive 



398 Sermons. 

language or by the use of a more beautiful simile than 
that in the words I have just quoted. " The body of 
Benjamin Franklin, like the cover of an old book/' de- 
cays. "The body without the spirit is dead," must 
be buried, becomes dissolved, and returns to the dust 
as it was ; yet it is not forever lost ; for through the 
great redemption of the Lord Jesus Christ it will be 
ransomed from death and appear again in a new and 
more beautiful edition, corrected and amended by the 
divine Architect. This is our hope, based on the 
plain and unequivocal teaching of the Holy Scriptures. 
Here is a man who starts in life as every man has to 
start ; he is poor ; but he has health, energy, and a 
determination to succeed and make the most of the 
present life. He chooses a business, and steadily pur- 
sues it. He commences housekeeping in a plain, mod- 
est and unpretentious way, as every poor man ought. 
His furniture is not costly; his house is cheap and in- 
expensive ; it is rot the best that could be built, but it 
is proportionate to his means, and answers his purpose 
for the time being. He prospers in business ; by in- 
dustry, economy and perseverence he accumulates 
wealth. Having acquired a competence, he tears down 
the old dwelling and erects in its stead a new, more 
beautiful, commodious and costly one, as he very 
properly may ; it is more durable, lasting, better 
finished and better furnished ; the old house is worn 
out, and he builds a new, better and more comfortable 
one, and moves into it to spend the remainder of his 
life in it. Now, God gave us this body, so fearfully 
and wonderfully made, with its delicate organization, 
and susceptibility to pain and pleasure ; and during 
our earthly existence the spirit abides in it and exerts 



The Resurrection of Christ. 399 

its power through the different organs of the body. 
By means of the brain the spirit thinks ; but our 
Father in heaven did not intend that this body should 
last always ; such was not his purpose in giving it to 
us. While we are forming a character that will fit us 
for a better life and a higher stage of being beyond the 
realm of death, the body is wearing out like an old 
house, or an old garment. 

The eye sees less distinctly ; the ear becomes dull 
of hearing ; the step more tottering and less elastic ; 
the whole frame less vigorous and strong ; and, very 
gradually, but surely, the body decays, wastes away, 
perishes under the power of disease and the infirmities 
of advancing years, till life becomes extinct ; and the 
spirit goes out as you move out of an old house that it 
may be torn down — goes 'out, not to be unclothed or 
wander like a phantom through the realms of air, but to 
receive a " building from God, a house not made with 
hands, eternal in the heavens. '- Now, this rehabilita- 
tion of the body, this giving to the ransomed a new, 
immortal and glorious body, in which the purified 
spirit shall forever abide, serve, shine, glorify God 
and enjoy his presence, is termed in Scripture the resur- 
rection, the consummation of our redemption, for 
which we wait in faith and live in hope. 

In the brief texts read at the beginning of this ser- 
mon there are four things : (1) A great fact stated. 
(2) A great promise given. (3) An apostolic declara- 
tion as to the agency, or power, by which that promise 
will be verified. (4) A glorious hope to be cherished. 
The fact stated is: " God raised up Jesus our Lord," 
the King of Glory, the Prince of Life — raised him up 
to die no more ; he is now the living One, and death 



400 Sermons. 

has dominion over him no longer. Simple words, 
easily pronounced — each one being a monosyllable ; 
but the fact set forth, revealed, announced in them is 
of tremendous signification. " God raised up the Lord 
Jesus." The apostles repeated, and re-repeated that 
statement in all the sermons they ever preached, and 
wherever preached, and in all their letters to whomso- 
ever written. 

The great promise given is this : "God will raise up 
us also." He will swallow up death in victory ; he will 
ransom his people from the hand of the grave ; he will 
redeem them from death ; he will be the destruction of 
both death and the grave. And the immediate agency 
or instrumentality by which he will effect or bring to 
pass the resurrection of the dead is his own power, 
energy, or almighty strength by which he is able to 
subdue all things to himself. Is there anything too 
hard for our God? Does he not possess power, as 
well as life, in himself? Is he not omnipotent and 
almighty? Did not his hand stretch out the heavens 
like a curtain ? Did he not create, and does he not 
uphold and keep in their orbits the multitudinous and 
immensely great bodies that shine in the heavens and 
revolve with inconceivable velocities through the 
realms of space ? He who made every body, small or 
great in the universe, can he not give to man a new, 
immortal, and glorious body? The credibility and 
possibility of a resurrection has been demonstrated, 
and its possibility forever settled. In Old Testament 
times did not women receive their dead by resurrection 
to life ? Numerous are the instances of resurrections 
that have already occurred, and what has once been 
done may be done again. And the glorious hope to 



The Resurrection of Christ. 401 

be cherished — at least one item in that hope — is 
that, after the resurrection, the ransomed church of 
God, victorious over death and the grave, will be pre- 
sented to the great Deliverer and Captain of our salva- 
tion as his, his bride, his inheritance, his special 
treasure ; presented before the presence of his glory 
with exceeding joy; presented to himself a church 
glorious, having no spot or wrinkle, or any such thing, 
but all holy, -pure and spotless. Such is to be the 
destiny of the church, and such the hope she may 
cherish. Now, the proofs of the resurrection of the 
dead are the declarations of God's word, and the 
resurrection of his Son. The statements of Scripture 
to this effect are many, and are found in all parts of 
the Bible. Jehovah, in all these prophets, announces 
the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead. Jesus, 
in his conversation with the Sadducees, says: "That 
the dead are raised, even Moses showed at the bush." 
As to the resurrection of the Christ, we may say it is 
pivotal, the hinge on which the whole system turns, 
and with which it stands or falls, the crucial test on 
which the Scriptures rest the demonstration of the 
truth and divine origin of Christianity. If that fails 
us, there is no gospel ; "your faith is vain, our preach- 
ing is vain ; we are yet in our sins, and all who have 
fallen asleep in Christ have perished." Thus upon 
the resurrection of Jesus the Christ the Scriptures rest 
the whole system of Christianity. With it, as the 
seal and crown of the whole gospel testimony, our 
hope stands or falls. But in the words of Peter we say : 
"The Lord is risen indeed;" and in the triumphant 
utterance of Paul : "Christ has risen from the dead 
and become the first fruits of them that slept." 



402 Sermons. 

. From the resurrection of our Lord three things 
follow : 

(i) His divine sonship ; it proves him to be the 
Christ, the Son of God, and a life-giving Redeemer. 
All his claims, however great, are sustained by his 
resurrection. (Romans i. 4). 

(2) His resurrection is the abolishment of death, 
and the revelation of eternal life and incorruption to 
the righteous. 

(3) It is the pledge and proof of our resurrection in 
his likeness. He is the Head, and his people are the 
members of his body. Will God raise the Head, and 
leave the members to perish in the grave ? "If Christ 
is preached that he has risen from the dead, how can 
any one say that there is no resurrection ? " 

I devote the remainder of this discourse to answer- 
ing the two questions : How are the dead raised up ? 
And with what kind of a body do they come ? The 
first question we have already answered, viz., the dead 
will be raised by the power of God. Look at the 
proofs of that power; in the different kinds of flesh 
God has made, and which is seen in different bodies. 
' ' There is one flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, 
another of fishes, another of birds. " 

Behold also the different bodies God has made, 
some earthly, and some heavenly, with their different 
degrees of glory, or brightness. "There is one glory 
of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and an- 
other of the stars, for stars differ." Now, the argu- 
ment of the apostle is this : It is entirely within the 
power of that God who made all these bodies in the 
universe, and on which the eye may rest, to give man 
a new and different body from that which he now pos- 



The Resurrection of Christ. 403 

sesses. He who admits the power of God need not 
hesitate to admit the doctrine of the resurrection. The 
apostle prays that the minds of the disciples may be 
enlarged, and their understanding enlightened to know 
the hope of his calling, the riches of his inheritance 
in the saints, and the exceeding greatness of his power 
toward us who believe according to the working of his 
mighty power which he wrought in Christ when he 
raised him from the dead and seated him at his own 
right hand in the heavenly places. As to the kind of 
body the redeemed will have after the resurrection, 
Paul affirms the following things : It will be incorrupti- 
ble ; it will be glorious ; it will be powerful ; it will be 
spiritual ; it will be immortal. To sum up the whole, 
it will be like the present glorious and glorified body 
of' our Saviour (Phil. iii. 20, 21). This resurrection in 
the personal likeness of our great Deliverer is called by 
several different names in the New Testament (Heb. 
ix. 28 ; I. Peter i. 5). Adoption, or redemption 
(Rom. viii. 23). Victory (I. Cor. xv. 54). Grace 
(I. Peter, i. 13). Deliverance (Rom. viii. 21). 

Now, the body is a part of our nature, and for the 
salvation and ultimate glorification of our whole nature, 
Jesus came, died, rose again, and ascended into heaven. 
What of the body ? What is true of it, and what are 
we to do with it ? Present it to God, a living sacrifice. 
The body is for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 
The believer's body is a temple of the Holy Spirit and 
a member of Christ. With our body we are to glorify 
God. Lastly, the body is to be raised from the dead, 
and glorified with Christ in the world to come. "If 
we suffer with him we shall be glorified together." 
What a great redemption our Father proffers to us in 



404 Sermons. 

the gospel of his grace ! A redemption that extends 
to and includes our whole nature, spirit, soul, body, 
intellect, will, heart, conscience ; everything in us, 
belonging to us and possessed, is the subject of 
God's renewing power and grace ; being cleansed from 
sin, transformed by divine power and love and truth, it 
is to be glorified with Christ, an eternal redemption, 
salvation in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. What 
riches of divine grace and mercy are displayed in it ! 



PREPARATION FOR DEATH AND THE 
JUDGMENT. 

And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after 
this the judgment. (Hebrews ix. 27). 

Watch therefore ; for ye know neither the day nor the 
hour wherein the Son of man cometh. (Matthew xxv. 13). 

Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel : and be- 
cause I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O 
Israel. (Amos iv. 12). 

I am to speak to you this evening concerning three 
things, viz., death, the judgment, and the needed 
preparation for these two solemn events. In the first 
of the three brief passages just read the inspired apostle 
says : " It is appointed unto all men once to die," i. e. t 
it is a matter of divine decision and determination that 
men shall die, and pass to the invisible realm of the 
dead ; and, after death, stand before the judgment seat 
of God, when they will be judged according to the 
deeds done in the body ; and that sentence, from which 
there is no appeal, will be pronounced, that will decide 
each one's everlasting destiny. Death and the judg- 
ment, therefore, await us all ; from either of these 
there is no escape ; and it should be our great and 
chief business in this life to prepare for these, that our 
destiny may be that of the righteous, and our home 
with the redeemed in the world to come. It is taught 
in the third chapter of Genesis that death is an ap- 
pointment of God. Very early in the history of our 

race the decree was promulgated, and has never been 

4°s 



406 Sermons. 

revoked: "Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou 
return." Jehovah said to Adam, because he heark- 
ened to the voice of his wife, and ate of the fruit of 
the tree of which he commanded him, saying, "Thou 
shalt not eat of it, " " In the sweat of thy face thou 
shalt eat bread till thou return to the ground." Since 
that decree was promulgated by Jehovah God, more 
than two hundred generations of human beings have 
passed into the eternal world. Of such a nature is our 
subject for this evening's discourse, so grave in its as- 
pects, so well calculated to impress the human heart 
and conscience, that it should arrest our attention, 
awaken in us serious and earnest thoughtfulness, and 
lead to self-searching and self-examination. We are 
to die ; before long, some who are here to-night will be 
made manifest before the judgment seat of Christ, who 
will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness, 
and will reveal the counsels of every heart. These are 
events in our future history which are certain to come. 
Therefore, in view of their certainty and possible near- 
ness, "what kind of persons ought you to be in all 
holy deportment and godliness ! " How circum- 
spectly should we walk ! How faithful should we 
be in the discharge of every duty ! How diligent 
in the acquisition of divine wisdom and heavenly 
knowledge, and how earnest and frequent should be 
our prayer for wisdom, guidance and help from on 
high, that we may be able so to live as to please our 
God, enjoy his favor, and "be counted worthy to ob- 
tain that world, and the resurrection from the dead." 

There is no folly so great as the folly of neglecting 
the great salvation, and of living a careless, disobedi- 
ent and ungodly life, and such neglect is sure, sooner 



Death and the Judgment. 407 

or later, to bring ruin and overwhelming disaster ; no 
opportunity of repentance beyond the grave will be 
given. "The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of 
wisdom." You have not even begun to be truly wise, 
or to lay up in store a good foundation against the 
time to come, if you have not begun to fear and obey 
God, to walk by faith in unseen and eternal realities, 
and live with direct reference to the day of final reckon- 
ing, when the secrets of all hearts will be disclosed. 
The death spoken of in these passages is not spiritual 
death, which consists in the separation of the soul 
from God, as the fountain and source of life, and from 
the enjoyment of his favor; il the second death/' of 
which the apostle John speaks in the book of Revela- 
tion, which consists in casting those not found written 
in the book of life into the lake of fire ; but physical 
death of the body, returning to the earth as it was. 
And, concerning this death, three inquiries may be 
made. The first, as to the cause of it ; second, as to 
the nature of it ; and third, as to the effects of it. 
"The living know that they shall die." Yes, we know 
it ; we admit it ; occasional thoughts concerning it come 
into our minds ; but the difficulty is to realize it, and a 
greater difficulty still, so to realize it that the realiza- 
tion thereof shall exert a great controlling influence 
upon our life and character. The life that now ani- 
mates these bodies will go out ; the pulse will cease to 
beat ; the eye will close in the shadows and dimness of 
death ; the hand, the foot, the whole frame, so fear- 
fully and wonderfully made, v/ill yield to the approach 
of the silent invader, and be lowered into the grave, 
the narrow house appointed for all the living. As to 
the cause of death, what is it ? The one true answer is 



408 Sermons. 

Sin, that one evil thing which dishonors God, incurs the 
divine displeasure, separates between man and his 
God, and brings upon him, not only physical, but 
what is infinitely worse and more to be dreaded, moral 
and spiritual death, and, if not redeemed from it, works 
out his everlasting ruin. Death is the divinely ap- 
pointed penalty of sin. "Jehovah God took the 
man whom he had formed of the dust of the ground." 
And, after eating the forbidden fruit, it was said to 
him : " Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. " 
"As through one man sin entered into the world, and 
death by sin." As to the nature of death, it is the 
separation of the soul from the body, the disconnecting 
or severing of the union existing between the two. 
"The body without the soul is dead, being alone." 
And Paul writes of "the outward man," and "the in- 
ward man," and death is the separation between these 
two. During this life the spirit is in the body. The 
connection beween the two is mysterious, altogether 
beyond human discovery and inspection. No anato- 
mist ever discerned it ; no physiologist ever saw the 
beginning or ending of either ; but as long as life lasts, 
the union of the two remains, and death ends it. 

As to the effects or consequences of death, it not 
only ends our earthly life, removes us from among the 
living, and ushers us into a future untried state of be- 
ing, but the most serious and solemn thing about death is 
this : it closes up man's probation, his time and state 
of trial, cuts him off from all opportunity of repentance 
and improvement, and assigns him to a place and con- 
dition of fixedness in good or evil. Hence, the say- 
ing: " As man is in death, so will he be in the day of 
judgment." I have read Canon Farrar's book called 



Death and the Judgment. 409 

"Eternal Hope," in which he teaches the doctrine of 
probation and restoration after death ; but his reason- 
ing is, in my judgment, without a Scripture basis. 
The word of God does not sustain him in his position. 
I have carefully looked through the Scriptures for 
an answer to this question : Does the word of God 
teach, either in express terms, or by implication, that 
to those who have had a probation here there will be 
a probation after death ? The whole tenor of Script- 
ure teaching compels me to answer that question in 
the negative. 

Secondly, after death is the judgment. Whose 
judgment? Not man's judgment of his fellow-man, 
but God's judgment of us all. Death does not 
end man's existence, for after it and beyond it is the 
judgment of God — that great crisis in the history of 
every soul which will determine its destiny. "Jehovah 
is our Judge, our Lawgiver, our King ; he will judge 
us " — he who has power to save and to destroy. The 
omnipotent, omiscient, eternal One is the Judge of the 
living and the dead. How full and explicit are the 
teachings of the sacred Scriptures on this subject! 
Jesus often spoke of the day of judgment. When 
Felix with his wife Drusilla sat before Paul, the bold 
and earnest apostle reasoned of righteousness, self-con- 
trol, and the judgment to come, and under the power 
of divine truth Felix trembled. Jehovah, in the most 
solemn manner, and because he can swear by none 
greater, swears by himself, saying : ' ' As I live, saith 
the Lord, to me every knee shall bow, and every 
tongue shall confess." We shall be judged for the 
thoughts of our hearts (Eccl. xii. 14); for the words 
we speak (Matt. xii. 36, 37) ; for our deeds (Romans 



410 Sermons. 

ii. 6-16; II. Cor. v. 10); for the effect and conse- 
qences of our life upon others (Jeremiah xvii. 10 ; 
xxxii. 19). Time, opportunities and means of doing 
and receiving good, talents given us for wise pur- 
poses, our pecuniary ability, life itself as a great 
gift from God, the care we took, or neglected to take, 
of our souls, the influence we exerted on others, the 
good or evil we did, or omitted to do ; solemn and 
searching inquiry will be made in regard to all these in 
that great day to which we haste. Life itself, the 
golden gift of God, bestowed for the wisest and best 
of purposes, what did you with it ? To what account 
did you put it? To whom did you yield yourself? 
Whom did you serve ? To whom did you give the 
strength and 'vigor of your days — to thy God and Re- 
deemer, or to Satan and the world ? Thy soul — God 
gave it thee, stamped with his own image, and destined 
it for immortality ; what didst thou with it ? The 
preparation for death and the judgment. " Prepare to 
meet thy God. Be also ready, for in such an hour as 
ye think not the Son of man cometh. " The preparation 
necessary consists in putting on Christ ; in other words, 
putting on and wearing the "wedding garment." 
Taking another view of it, the needed preparation con- 
sists in these two things, viz., redemption and sanctifi- 
cation. Salvation from sin, deliverance, redemption, 
and then personal holiness. The great distinguish- 
ing characteristic of Christianity is this : It is a sys- 
tem of redemption, or justification from sin through 
Christ, through the gospel, and in obedience thereto. 
A system, not of ethical culture, nor of intellectual 
development, nor of moral discipline ; but chiefly and 
primarily of redemption by the mighty power of the 



Death and the Judgment. 411 

Lord Jesus Christ. This separates and distinguishes 
Christianity from all schemes of intellectual growth 
and development that have been concocted in the 
brains of unbelieving men. 

After redemption, holiness, moral purity and ex- 
cellence, sanctification of heart and life, conformity to 
the Saviour in all things, and likeness to God, he who 
is redeemed, or justified, and sanctified need not fear 
death, nor the judgment. He of whom these things 
are true shall never be moved. To him death will be 
entrance into glory ; will be going to our God to rest 
in his bosom, and in the day of judgment it will be 
said to him: "Well done, good and faithful servant, 
enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." Are you re- 
deemed, justified in the sight of God ? If so, then let 
holiness be your chief pursuit. "Follow after holi- 
ness, without which no one shall see the Lord." Jus- 
tification restores us to the favor of God ; sanctification 
to his likeness — and what then? " An eternal weight 
of glory." 



THE JUDGMENT. 

And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God ; 
and the books were opened : and another book was opened, 
which is the book of life ; and the dead were judged out of 
those things which were written in the books according to 
their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it ; 
and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in 
them ; and they were judged every man according to their 
works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. 
This is the second death. And whosoever was not found 
written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. 
(Revelation xx. 12-15). 

If, in traveling through a country, one passes rapid- 
ly from place to place, not stopping to observe narrowly 
or survey thoroughly any object, landscape, or piece of 
scenery that may come into view, on arriving at his 
destination he can give you no accurate information 
about the country over which he has passed, because 
but a confused impression was made on his own mind. 
He saw nothing well ; his eye took in nothing on which 
it momentarily rested. This explains how it is that 
death, judgment and eternity make so little impression 
on most men's minds. They do not stop to consider 
them. They hurry along through life ; the days, weeks, 
months and years pass swiftly by; business cares mul- 
tiply ; the routine of daily life engrosses the mind and 
absorbs the attention ; and but little or no time is 
given to serious thought, to meditation, to prayer, to 
the improvement of the mind, to the culture of the 



The Judgment. 413 

heart and soul, to the consideration of life's obligations, 
responsibilities and destiny. More souls, perhaps, are 
lost through want of consideration than in any other 
way. Therefore it is that God cries, Stop, children of 
men, stop. Consider your ways. Ponder the path of 
your feet. Apply your heart unto wisdom, and your 
mind to knowledge. 

1 ' O that they were wise, that they understood this, 
that they would consider their latter end." Again he 
cries: " Israel doth not know, my people doth not 
consider. " Satan whispers in the ears of men : ' ' Away 
to your business ; off to the shop and market ; lose no 
time, but make money, get rich." Thus it is that 
most people never stop to think, but hurry on through 
life, and find themselves in eternity, or about to enter 
into eternity, before they have once put the question : 
"What must I do to be saved?" Therefore, God 
cries, Stop and think ; consider ; take time for reflec- 
tion, for serious and earnest thought. Prepare to meet 
thy God ; make preparation for death, for judgment, 
for eternity. I do not object to fun at the proper time 
andjon proper occasions, nor to wit or pleasantry, inno- 
cent amusement or merriment. In their place these 
things are right and proper. There is a time to laugh 
as well as a time to preach. But the pulpit and the 
house of worship are not the place for these. The 
pulpit is for the instruction of the people in Christian 
truth, and the presentation of such great themes as re- 
late directly to the moral and spiritual welfare of men. 
Time flies ; life is uncertain ; we know not but each op- 
portunity may be our last ; therefore we must not trifle, 
nor waste time on subjects of inferior importance, but 
call the attention of the people, and turn their minds 



414 Sermons. 

to the great things of God's law, to the great questions 
of life and death, of duty and destiny, of responsibility 
and judgment. There are two events before us, sure 
to come and most certain, because fixed in the counsel- 
of Jehovah, the bare thought of which should startle 
us, awaken us from our spiritual slumbers, and arouse 
us from our lethargy, if we are not fully prepared for 
them. The first is death, and the second that which 
succeeds death, viz., the judgment. Both of these are 
appointments of God. Early in the history of the 
world the decree went forth, and has never been re- 
voked, and never will be: " Dust thou art, and unto 
dust shalt thou return." It is appointed to men once 
to die. "God has appointed a day in which he will 
judge the world in righteousness." As a physical act, 
as the cessation of the heart's pulsation, death is of 
little significance ; but as the departure of the soul 
from the body, as the end of man's probation, as the 
going forth of the spirit into a hitherto unknown, un- 
tried and fixed state of being, it is an event of won- 
drously great moral significance. It is not of death, 
however, but of the judgment after it, that I wish you 
to think to-day. This is a doctrine of God's Word. 
Christ says : ' ' We shall give account in the day of 
judgment." He also says : " It will be more tolerable 
for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment " than for 
those who heard him, and saw his miracles, yet re- 
pented not. Before Felix and his wife Drusilla, Paul 
reasoned concerning righteousness, temperance, (z. e. y 
self-control), and the judgment to come. Our text 
says: " All things are naked and opened to the eyes 
of him with whom we have to do.'' That is, to whom 
we must give account, by whom we are to be judged. 



The Judgment. 415 

And to the apostle John, when on the Island of Pat- 
mos, a door was opened in heaven through which he 
saw, and among other things a great white throne, on 
which the Almighty Judge sat — great, large, exalted, 
magnificent, white, the emblem of purity, the symbol 
of that righteousness in which he will judge all men. 
John saw this, and him who sat upon it, from whose 
face the earth and the heaven fled away. Other things 
may be escaped, but God's righteous judgment never. 
Some people are like the silly ostrich which, when 
hotly pursued, falls down and buries its head in the 
sand, vainly imagining that, because it can not see its 
pursuer, he can not see it. Men may turn away from 
the truth, close in their minds against it, refuse to re- 
ceive it, but the truth is the truth, nevertheless, and 
God's word abides forever. Heaven and earth shall 
pass away, but the word spoken by Christ and his 
apostles shall never pass away. The Lord Christ is 
the Judge. He now sits on the throne of grace to 
give salvation and eternal life to those who repent and 
come to God through him ; by and by he will sit on 
the throne of judgment, and before him all the nations 
will be gathered to hear their last sentence and receive 
their final reward. The Father has appointed that the 
Son shall fill several distinct offices. He appointed 
him to be our sin-offering, our great High Priest, and 
our Judge. "The Father judges no one, but all judg- 
ment he has committed to the Son." 

Again, "as the Father has life in himself, so he 
gave also to the Son to have life in himself." Peter 
says : " He commanded us to preach to the people, to 
testify that it is he who has been appointed by God 
to be Judge of the living and dead." The humanity 



416 Sermons. 

of Christ is the reason why he was appointed to the 
great and solemn office of judging. He is our Judge, 
because he is the Son of man. He knows our weak- 
ness, our trials, our temptations, our sorrows, and 
therefore he is the proper person to judge us. He is 
now merciful, gracious, full of compassion toward those 
who repent and turn to him in faith and obedience ; 
in the day of judgment he will be righteous, just but 
not merciful. It is the office of a judge to administer 
the law, not to exercise clemency. Clement and piti- 
ful toward the criminal he may be; but his per- 
sonal feelings must be kept in abeyance. He must 
pronounce according to the law. Let not the wicked 
deceive themselves by imagining that they will find 
mercy from the Lord in the day of judgment. This is 
the day of mercy ; that, the day for the exercise of im- 
partial justice. 

For what will men be judged ? For four things. 
First, for their thoughts. "God will bring every work 
into judgment, with every secret thing whether it be 
good or whether it be evil." "As many as have 
sinned without law shall also perish without law, and 
as many as sinned with law shall be judged by law." 
That day will be a day of revelation as well as of judg- 
ment. Christ will not only be personally revealed, but 
the thoughts of every heart. * ' Judge nothing before the 
time, until the Lord come, who will both bring to light 
the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest 
the counsels of the heart. The reason is this: "As a 
man thinketh in his heart, so is he " — in character be- 
fore the heart-searching God." Thoughts give rise to 
actions, and are the basis and foundation of every one's 
true character. Men speak as they think, and do as 



The Judgment. 417 

they think, and, therefore, character lies back of words, 
and back of deeds in thoughts of the heart and the 
purposes of the soul. If a man's words are truthful, kind 
and gentle it is because his heart, from which his words 
proceed, is kind and gentle. If his words are false, it 
is because his heart is false. When a man's actions are 
conformable to the law of right it is for the reason that 
his heart, the inner fountain and source from which all 
action proceeds, is true, right and loyal to God and 
duty. Inasmuch as the heart is the seat of character, 
inasmuch as every one's true character is determined 
by the moral condition of the soul, how important it is 
to strive after purity of heart, and to pray that our 
thoughts may be cleansed, that we may present to our 
God a pure offering, and worthily magnify his holy 
name. Jesus teaches that the lustful look is adultery. 
Hatred is murder. A covetous spirit is idolatry. A 
man bad in speech and bad in action is first bad in 
thought. The thief thinks theft before he commits 
theft. The murderer has murder in his heart before he 
takes the life of his victim. All evil is first in the 
thoughts of the heart before it is developed in word 
and deed, and therefore it is that for these a man is 
responsible, 'and will be judged at the last day. Our 
Saviour says : " From within, out of the heart of men 
proceed evil thoughts, murders, thefts, covetousness, " 
etc. "These are the things that defile the man." 

What an abyss of moral corruption is the unre- 
newed human heart ; and how important that it be 
cleansed and made pure in the sight of God ! On the 
other hand, all good in word and deed is in the soul, 
and proceeds from an honest, good and pure heart. 
The stream partakes of the character of the fountain 



41 8 Sermons. 

from which it flows. If the fountain is not pure, the 
stream issuing therefrom can not be. The heart is the 
fountain, the seat of everything good or bad in life 
and conduct. Hence, the words of the wise man : 
"As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." There 
are banks for the deposit and safe keeping of money. 
There are institutions to which you can take valuables, 
and by paying a certain sum they will be safely kept 
for you. Though the modern system of banking was 
not known among the ancients, yet more than three 
thousand years ago men had places for the safe keep- 
ing of their gold and silver and costly garments. Solo- 
mon knew this. He knew the diligence with which 
men kept their earthly treasures, and says : * ' Keep 
thy heart above all keeping ; keep it with a zeal, dili- 
gence and carefulness greater that with which men keep 
those worldly treasures they esteem most valuable ; 
for out of it are the issues of life." 

There are other things besides our thoughts for 
which we must give account to God. Jesus says : 
1 ' Verily I say to you, that every idle word that men 
shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day 
of judgment ; for by thy words thou shalt be justified, 
and from thy words thou shalt be condemned." O 
how many idle words are spoken (z. e. y vain, unprofit- 
able, useless words), that had better not be spoken. 
Be careful of your speech ; guard your tongue ; control 
it ; keep it in subjection. You are not at liberty to 
say what you may think. "He that keepeth his 
mouth keepeth his life ; but he that openeth wide his 
mouth shall have destruction." Read and study the 
third chapter of James, and resolve that you will be 
prudent and true, and right in word and speech. Some 



The Judgment. 419 

people claim they have the right to say what they 
think, no matter what it may be. Not so. You must 
try at all times to think what is pure and true and good 
and right ; but if you can not, you can refrain from 
speaking what is untrue, false and sinful and unprofit- 
able, and the control of the tongue helps greatly to 
control the temper or thoughts. We are taught that 
words uttered in prayer are heard in heaven. If idle 
words are to be the subject of inquiry in the day of 
judgment, are they not also written in the book of the 
divine remembrance ? And will they not confront us 
in the judgment of the great day ? The gift of 
speech, God's greatest natural gift to man, O how it is 
perverted. To say nothing of idle words, how much 
lying and falsehood are there, how much impurity and 
obscenity of speech, how much profanity and blas- 
phemy ! How common a vice is lying ; yet a vice that 
sinks the soul into hell. How much commercial lying, 
as it is called, lying in business, in trading, in buying and 
selling; for a few cents there are people who will un- 
blushingly tell a falsehood. Some think it justifiable 
to lie to children and to sick persons, to deceive them. 
I doubt it. I believe no such doctrine. Lying is 
lying, whether to children, to sick people, in business, 
in common conversation, or anywhere else, and he who 
for any reason whatsoever deliberately utters falsehood, 
makes an agreement with hell, enters into a compact 
with the devil, the father of lies, and makes his own 
destruction sure. "All liars shall have their part in 
the lake that burns with fire and brimstone." " With- 
out are dogs and sorcerers, and whomsoever loveth 
and maketh a lie." Would you be saved? Would you 
dwell in God's holy hill, and abide in his tabernacle ? 



420 Sermons. 

You must " speak the truth in your heart." How 
much profanity is there ! It is a sin even worse, if it 
were possible for anything to be worse, than lying. 
Men, and half-grown boys too, profane the name of 
the Christ who died for them, and of Jehovah who 
made and preserves them. It is difficult to find words 
properly to characterize, or to set forth in its true light 
such a sin as this, a sin so causeless, so unjustifiable, 
and so clear a proof of a hardened and depraved a 
heart. How common is this vice among our public 
men ; judges, lawyers, physicians, men of business, of 
large wealth and social standing, and even church 
members are guilty of it. Men, young men, boys, 
one and all, if you would have the favor of God and 
his approval in the day of final reckoning, avoid pro- 
fanity and lying, avoid idle and unprofitable speech, 
and speak that only which is true and conformable to 
the highest purity and moral rectitude. " Let no cor- 
rupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but 
that which is good to the use of edifying. " There are 
other things still for which we must answer to God, 
and I hasten to name, but can not stop to elaborate 
them. In that dreadful day, when the secret of all 
hearts will be disclosed, solemn inquiry and examina- 
tion will be made as to what we have done for the good 
of men and the glory of God. 

Our Lord says : " The Son of man shall come in the 
glory of his Father with his angels, and then he shall 
reward every man according to his works." " Behold, 
I come quickly, and my reward is with me to give each 
one according as his work is. " ' ' God will render every 
man according to his deeds. He will bring every work 
into judgment." 



The Judgment. 421 

The world's dying day, that day for which all 
others were made, searching inquiry will be instituted 
as to what we have done, or failed to do. Right 
acting as well as right speaking and right thinking 
is required at our hands. Finally, we shall give ac- 
count to God for the effect and influence of life and 
conduct upon others. 

The Scriptures say; "Jehovah is great in coun- 
sel, and mighty in work ; for his eyes are open upon 
all the ways of the sons of men, to give to every one ac- 
cording to his ways, and according to the fruit of his do- 
ings." Fruit in this passage means effect, consequence, 
or fully developed results. Society in all its parts is so 
related, bound together, interwoven, that each one 
exerts an influence for good or evil upon others ; God 
holds every man accountable for his influence upon 
society ; for that subtle, mighty power that goes 
forth from each one's real character, spirit, example 
and conduct upon others. Parents, e. g. y are responsi- 
ble for the influence of their life and deportment upon 
their children. They must set them an example not 
only of good morals, general integrity and uprightness, 
but of true piety and devotion to God ; and example is 
more efficient in molding the character of the young 
than precept. In business, it is obligatory on men to 
set before their fellows an example of truthfulness, of 
correct and honorable dealing. It will not do to say, 
as some, " Others take advantage, practice deception 
and dishonesty, and I will do the same." If you do 
you will all go down in the general ruin and condemna- 
tion that is sure to come on all evil-workers. Now, 
as to your thoughts, words, deeds and influence, be 
careful, be circumspect, because for all these you and I 



422 Sermons. 

shall give account to Him who is ready to judge the 
living and the dead. Our subject calls loudly for re- 
pentance, .genuine, thorough, personal, repentance- 
toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. 
This is the use Paul made of the subject, and this is the 
use I make of it to-day. " God now commands all 
men everywhere to repent, because he has appointed 
a day in which he will judge the world in righteous- 
ness by that man whom he hath ordained," etc. By 
the certainty of a future judgment, he solemnly urged 
men to forsake their sins, obey the gospel and turn to 
God in newness of life ; to tear away the cobwebs of 
sophistry, and in true penitence come straight to the 
heart of God for forgiveness and healing. By the 
highest conceivable motive, I urge you to do this. Let 
the young, the old, one and all, give themselves to 
Christ and his service, and seek that purity of heart 
and speech and life which will delight the Father in 
heaven, and by reason of which the Judge will say at 
the last day : ' ' Well done, good and faithful servant, 
enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." 



PAUL'S SATISFACTION AND CONFIDENCE. 

For I am now ready to be offered, and t the time of my 
departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have 
finished my course, I have kept the faith : henceforth there 
is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the I^ord, 
the righteous judge, shall give me at that day : and not to 
me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. 
(II. Timothy iv. 6-8). 

Of the fourteen letters of which St. Paul was the 
inspired author, this one, in the last chapter of which 
I have taken my text, was the last written. To 
Timothy, an evangelist, his true child in the gospel, 
whom he besought to remain still in Ephesus, his final 
words were : ' ' The Lord Jesus Christ be with thy 
spirit. Grace be with thee." These words constitute 
the last sentence written by the aged apostle, so far as 
we know ; affectionate, tender, prayerful, they breathe 
a heavenly spirit, and the feelings of a spirit ripe for 
glory and a better clime. 

Rome, the ancient city on the banks of the Tiber, 
and which at that time was seven hundred and fifty 
years old, was the place from which they were written ; 
and further, at the time of writing this letter the apos- 
tle was in prison — tradition says, the Mamertine 
prison. Day and night he was kept under military 
custody, his wrists being fastened by a chain to those 
of a Roman soldier. He was a prisoner in the Lord. 
For the sake of the gospel, he was Christ's ambassa- 
dor in bonds. He says: "In the gospel I endure 



424 Sermons. 

hardness even unto bonds." Men may arrest -*nd con- 
fine in prison the preachers of the word, but the word 
itself no man can bind, confine, or prevent from 
spreading. It grows and multiplies, in spite of the 
fiercest opposition of unbelieving men ; and we are to 
pray for Christ's servants that the word of the Lord 
spoken by them may run and be glorified, achieving 
victory after victory, gaining conquest after conquest, 
till the whole world shall be subdued to the Lord 
Messiah, whose right it is to reign over all hearts, and 
where ? er the sun does his successive journeys run. 

Paul was twice a prisoner in Rome, the first time 
for two whole years. The account of his first im- 
prisonment is given by Luke in the Acts. The Jews 
at Jerusalem arrested and delivered him a prisoner into 
the hands of the Romans ; he lay in prison two years 
at Caesarea. The Roman authorities, having examined 
him, wished to release him, because there was no 
cause against him ; but as the Jews spoke against it, he 
was sent to Rome. To Festus he said: " I stand at 
Caesar's judgment seat, where I ought to be judged." 
And in the spring of A. D. 61, after a perilous voyage 
on the Mediterranean, he arrived at Rome, where "he 
remained for two whole years in his own hired house, 
and received all that came unto him." In the spring of 
the year 63 he was released and spent five years more 
in missionary labors, visiting the churches in Asia 
Minor and elsewhere in the East. Then going west- 
ward into Spain, a country which he had long pur- 
posed to visit, preaching the gospel, and sowing the 
good seed of the kingdom in different parts of the 
Roman empire, till in the winter of A. d. 67-8, he was 
again arrested at Nicopolis, taken as a prisoner to 



Paul's Satisfaction and Confidence. 425 

Rome, where charges were preferred against him be- 
fore Caesar. What the charges were we are not in- 
formed, but it is generally supposed that the first was 
that of conspiring with others to set fire to the city of 
Rome in the year a. d. 64. There were several counts 
in the indictment against the apostle, certainly two, on 
each of which he was tried separately. 

At the close of his trial on the first charge or count 
in the indictment, he was released ; he succeeded to 
the satisfaction of the emperor and his councilors, who 
constituted the court, in proving himself innocent of 
incendiarism, (if that were the charge preferred against 
him) ; he plead his own cause alone, and unaided by 
any other ; yet not alone, for Christ was with him, and 
greatly helped him. To this he refers in this chapter : 
" At my first answer no one stood by me," etc. At 
the conclusion of the trial he was remanded (though 
acquitted of that charge) to prison to await his trial on 
the second. It was in the spring of the year A. D. 6&. 
Now, it was in the interim (z. e. y between his trials on 
the first and second counts of the indictment), that fhis 
letter was written. He knew, but whether by revela- 
tion or otherwise we are not informed, that he would be 
condemned to die. He fully understood what was be- 
fore him. He did not expect a final acquittal ; he felt 
that the ultimate result would be his condemnation. 
What were the feelings with which he awaited this con- 
summation ? We are not left to conjecture ; for he has 
himself expressed them in that sublime strain of tri- 
umphant hope which is familiar to the memory of every 
Christian, and which has nerved the hearts of a thousand 
martyrs. "lam now about to be offered, and the time 
of my departure is at hand." As one says: "He 



426 Sermons. 

saw before him, at a little distance, the doom of an 
unrighteous magistrate, and the sword of a blood- 
stained executioner ; but he appealed to a juster Judge, 
who would soon change the fetters of the criminal 
into the wreath of the conqueror ; he looked beyond 
the transitory present ; the tribunal of Nero faded from 
his sight ; and the vista was closed by the judgment 
seat of Christ." Sustained by such a blessed hope, 
it mattered to him but little if he was destitute of 
earthly sympathy. He had the fullest sympathy of 
the Lord Jesus, whose gospel he had faithfully preached 
for thirty years or more, and for whose sake he was 
about to die a martyr's death. Timothy was far dis- 
tant in Asia Minor, discharging the duties of the office 
with which he had been entrusted. Thither the apos- 
tle wrote to him, desiring him to come as soon as pos- 
sible to Rome, yet feeling how uncertain it was 
whether he might not arrive too late. He gives him 
instructions, urges on him the duty of boldness in 
Christ's cause, of steadfastness under persecution, and 
of being willing to suffer even death, if need be, for 
Christ's sake. 

Beautiful in spirit, quiet, calm and full of strength 
was the holy apostle in that Roman prison. As the 
sword of the executioner severed his head from his 
body, his ransomed spirit went to glory to be with 
Christ for evermore ! Death was to him translation to 
Paradise, not ceasing to live, but ceasing to be 
mortal ; and he wears the martyr's and conqueror's 
crown. Glory to the name of Jesus, world without 
end, for so great a salvation ! I wish you to note how 
different were St. Paul's feelings and language when 
contemplating the nearness of death, from those of 



Paul's Satisfaction and Confidence. 427 

others of whom we know. Death-bed utterances are 
generally sincere and truthful, and express the real 
feelings of him who speaks. Lord Chesterfield was 
distinguished for his taste in literature and acquaint- 
ance with the world ; viewed from a purely worldly 
standpoint, his career was a brilliant one ; he was the 
politest man of his day, most elegant in manners ; but 
when he was old and about to die, his culture and po- 
liteness gave him no consolation. He wrote, saying : 
1 • I have recently read Solomon with a kind of sympa- 
thetic feeling. I have been as wicked and as vain, 
though not as wise as he ; but now I am old enough to 
feel the truth of this reflection — all in this world is 
vanity and vexation of spirit." Had our apostle such 
feelings when he came to die ? Was he disgusted with 
the world and hopless as to the future ? Goethe was a 
celebrated German poet and 'philosopher. When in 
Frankfort on the Main, I saw the house in which he was 
born and lived. Eighty-four years of life were granted 
him ; yet, when at the point of death, as the world was 
receding from his fading vision, and the realities of 
eternity were about to appear, he said he was 
a stranger to happiness, that he "had scarcely tasted 
twenty-four hours of solid happiness in the whole 
course of his protracted career." Why? He did not 
serve the Christ whom Paul served. 

Lord Byron was highly gifted ; he had poetic genius ; 
his natural abilities were of the highest order ; but he 
was destitute of grace, impure in thought, and corrupt 
in life; on the very verge of the tomb, he wrote his 
own unhappy experience in these words : 

" Though gay companions o'er the bowl, 
Dispel a while the sense of ill, 



428 Sermons. 

Though pleasure fill the maddening soul, 
The heart — the heart is lonely still. 

" Aye, but to die, and go, alas ! 

Where all have gone and all must go ; 
To be the nothing that I was 
Ere born to life and living woe. 

" Count o'er the joys thine hours have seen, 
Count o'er thy days from anguish free, 
And know, whatever thou hast been, 
'T is something better not to be. 

" Nay, for myself, so dark my fate 

Through every turn of life hath been, 
Man and the world so much I hate, 
I care not when I quit the scene." 

That is the creed of an atheist. How striking the 
contrast between his bitter sarcasm and the assuring 
language of the apostle : ' ' I have fought the good 
fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the 
faith," etc. 

Voltaire, the French atheist, pronounced the world 
to be full of wretches, and himself the most wretched 
of them all. Paine, the anniversary of whose death 
a few infidels celebrated in Pittsburg the other day, 
died intoxicated and blaspheming. Hobbes, the Eng- 
lish skeptic, just before his death, said he was prepar- 
ing to take a leap into the dark. Nearly one hundred 
years ago Mirabeau died in Paris. He was a genius of 
the highest order, but a debauchee. His reasoning 
powers were sublime, almost angelic. By the power 
of his eloquence he could sway at will the largest as- 
semblies ; but like Alexander and Napoleon, he could 
not control his own appetites and passions. Coming 



Paul's Satisfaction and Confidence. 429 

home one day from the assembly, the scene of innum- 
erable forensic triumphs, his constitution undermined 
by excesses, and exhausted by licentious indigencies, 
he laid down to die. Said he : " My friend, I shall 
die to-day. When one has come to such a juncture 
there remains only one thing to be done, that is to be 
perfumed, crowned with flowers, and surrounded with 
music, in order to enter sweetly into that slumber 
from which there is no waking." Mirabeau died like 
a pagan, recording his protest against the faith of Jesus. 
The French infidels said, " Death is an eternal sleep." 
On the first day of the present year Gambetta died. 
For twelve years he was the foremost man in France ; 
I mean, foremost in the politics of the country. It is 
stated, and I believe the statement is not denied, that 
his last moments were disturbed by dread forebodings. 
As death approached he was conscious only at inter- 
vals. During one of his lucid periods he is reported 
to have said — and these are his words : "I am lost; 
it is useless to attempt to conceal it ; but my suffering 
has been so great it will be deliverance." Lost ! lost ! 
lost ! Melancholy confession J Lost to God, to heaven, 
to happiness^ to eternal life. Contrast the apostle's 
dying words with those I have quoted. How different 
their ring ! No fear of the future ! No shrinking from 
the approach of the grim monster ! He was calm, 
tranquil, self-possessed, having a faith that penetrated 
the veil, and saw a crown, a throne and a kingdom 
awaiting him on the other side of the realm of death. 
Was Paul a fanatic ? Was he a mystic dreamer, a 
novicei n the experiences of life ? He was the soberest 
of men, and the most logical of reasoners. He was 
now nearly, if not quite, seventy years of age. Thirty- 



430 Sermons. 

five to forty years he had spent in the service of Christ 
and in doing good to man. He had been in perils by 
land, in perils by sea, in perils amongst false brethren, 
persecuted, driven from place to place, arrested, tried, 
beaten, scourged, imprisoned ; he suffered from hunger 
and thirst and cold ; and yet, at the close of all, assured 
that he had a rock beneath him, a bright light above 
him, and a glorious home before him, he breaks forth 
in a vein of joyful hope and triumphant gladness, in the 
words of the text, in which he states, first, his present 
position ; next, the retrospect that he takes ; and 
lastly, the hope that he cherishes. His present posi- 
tion is set forth in these words : ' * I am about to be 
offered." That is, I am soon to die ; my earthly career 
is ended. With me the sands of time are nearly run 
out. I shall preach no more. I shall soon be led forth 
to the executioner's block. The retrospect he takes is 
expressed in these words : "I have fought the good 
fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith." 
Finally, the glorious hope he cherishes: i( Henceforth 
there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness." 
Observe the unfaltering confidence which the apostle 
manifests in regard to his hope of the future. He does 
not say : "I may receive a crown ; possibly there is 
one for me." Nay, his language is assuring; it is con- 
fident in its tone. " There is laid up for me in heaven 
the crown of righteousness." In the first chapter he 
says: " I know whom I have believed." His future 
reward is expressed by the word crown — crown of 
righteousness. "That day" means the day of resur- 
rection in Christ's likeness, the day when the chief 
Shepherd shall be manifested in glory. 

Now, what gave the apostle his assurance and 



Paul's Satisfaction and Confidence. 431 

peacefulness in the hour of death ? Two things. His 
faith in Christ Jesus. The purity and faithfulness of 
his past life. Resting on Christ and having lived a de 
voted, earnest life, he had no fear as to the future. 

" Sure the last end 
Of the good man is peace ; how calm his exit ; 
Night dews fall not more softly to the ground, 
Nor weary worn-out winds expire soft." 

1 ' Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright ; 
for the end of that man is peace." 



FAREWELL DISCOURSE. * 

Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh 
and Shen, and called the name of it Eben-ezer, saying, Hith- 
erto hath the I^ord helped us. (I. Samuel vii. 12.) 

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children 
walk in truth. (III. John 4). 

In ancient times, when the Old Testament history 
was being made, it was quite common to set up stones 
as monuments for the commemoration of certain great 
historical events. For example, after the miraculous 
passage of the river Jordan by the Israelites, on their 
entrance into the land of promise, under the leader- 
ship and guidance of Joshua, the successor of Moses, 
twelve stones were taken up out of the midst of Jor- 
dan by twelve men, "out of the place where the 
priests' feet stood firm," and set up in Gilgal, on the 
west bank of the river, to commemorate the wondrous 
miracle in the dividing of the waters, and to perpetu- 
ate in the minds of the people the striking event. 
The significance of the act is stated in the following 
words: "When your children ask their fathers, say- 
ing, What mean ye by these stones ? then you shall 
answer them, That the waters of the Jordan were cut 
off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord ; and 
these stones shall be for a memorial of the event to the 

* This sermon was delivered just before Mr. and Mrs. King took 
their departure for a year's absence in California, in November, and 
proved to be the last he ever delivered to his people in Allegheny. 
432 



Farewell Discourse. 433 

children of Israel forever." In the time of Samuel the 
prophet, great and signal victories were obtained over 
the Philistines, the ancient and inveterate foes of the 
Israelites. They were discomfited, put to flight, smit- 
ten before Israel; "Jehovah thundered with a great 
thunder upon them," and they fled in terror. In 
commemoration of the victory, Samuel "took a stone 
and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the 
name of it Ebenezer [/. e. t the stone of help], saying, 
"Hitherto hath the Lord helped us." The Christian 
poet alludes to this event in sacred history and to the 
meaning of the word Ebenezer, in the two lines: 

" Here I '11 raise my Ebenezer, 
Hither by thy help I 've come." 

During the past of each of our lives the Lord has 
been our helper ; by his grace we are what we are. 
He is the potter ; we are the clay in his hands, and by 
his power, grace and truth he is moulding us into the 
perfect image and likeness of his Son, thus preparing 
us for everlasting glory and for eternal union with him. 
On the twenty-eighth day of June, 1863, I preached 
my first sermon as pastor of this church, in Excelsior 
Hall, corner of Federal and Laycock streets, in which 
the congregation was then worshiping, the building- 
owned by the church having been destroyed by fire in 
the summer of 1859. The text of that sermon was 
the fifteenth verse of the first chapter of I. Timothy : 
" Faithful is the saying, and worthy of all acceptance, 
that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." 
The theme of the discourse was the purpose or great 
object of the mission of Christ Jesus, viz. , the salvation 
of sinners. After alluding to his divine and heavenly 
origin, as set forth in the words, ' ' He came down out 



434 Sermons. 

of heaven into this world, bringing the power, light, 
life, and glory of other worlds into this for the redemp- 
tion of fallen man." I showed that the salvation which 
he came to bestow consisted of three things: first, 
the remission of sins, justification, or pardon, illustrated 
by the year of jubilee under the Mosaic law ; secondly, 
sanctification holiness, the purification and consecration 
to God and his service of our whole intellectual, moral, 
and spiritual nature ; and, thirdly, eternal glorification 
of both body and soul in the world to come ; and re- 
marked at the close that this was the Christ, the Sav- 
iour whom I came to preach to you, and this the 
salvation which I came to set forth, illustrate and en- 
force. Twenty years have passed away since that 
sermon was spoken, and I call you to witness who have 
heard me during all these years (and there are some 
of you who have heard nearly every sermon I have 
preached), whether or not I have been true to that 
purpose. Have I had any other central theme than 
Jesus the Christ, and salvation, present and eternal, 
through him? The character of Jesus as the great 
proof of his divinity ; the loveliness, moral beauty and 
perfection thereof; his example to be imitated, and his 
spirit to be imbibed by his followers ; his sacrifice and 
atoning death ; his resurrection, abolishing death and 
giving us the hope of immortality ; his coronation as 
Lord of all ; his intercession through which strength and 
power are imparted to us ; redemption, salvation, the re- 
mission of sins, the gift of the Holy Spirit, wisdom, 
light, life, grace, truth, faith, repentance unto life, and 
obedience to the will of God in all things, of walking in 
charity toward our neighbor, and in the practice of all 
good works; life with its duties and obligations, its 



Farewell Discourse. 435 

possibilities and responsibilities ; death, the judgment, 
eternity, and the opposite destinies of the righteous 
and wicked in the world to come ; these are the great 
things of God's law, on which I have largely and prin- 
cipally dwelt in my ministry. 

In this age pastorates are of short duration ; their 
average length in nearly all the religious denominations 
is not more than three or four years — hardly that, in- 
deed, it is said. And it has been a matter of wonder 
to many how it is that I have stayed here so long ; 
and why it is that you did not become tired of me. 
When spoken to about it, as I have often been, my 
answer has always been : " I preach the word of God, 
which is a word of truth, of life and power, which, 
when faithfully preached, commends itself to every 
man's conscience in the sight of God, and comes home 
to the human heart with divine unction and heavenly 
power, and does the people good, as it doth ever to 
the upright in heart." Secondly, I have tried to be 
worthy of the confidence and affection of the people. 
These are the two chief reasons why I have remained 
here so long. If I had preached as many men do, my 
own notions instead of the truth, speculations instead 
of Christ, metaphysics instead of the word of God, I 
would have been compelled to have sought other fields 
and new pastures long since. When I came here I 
resolved to do three things. (1) To preach the 
gospel, to make known Christ and him crucified, and. 
the great redemption through him ; to enforce and illus- 
trate every part of God's great and authoritative revela- 
tion upon the conscience and heart of my hearers. 
(2) To try to exemplify in my own life the power of 
that gospel which I preached to others, and in trying, 



436 Sermons. 

though succeeding imperfectly, I have had unspeakable 
comfort. (3) To endeavor, as far as possible, to enlist 
the congregation in benevolent and Christian work, 
knowing that the best way to allay the unholy feeling, 
to harmonize differences, and to promote a healthy re- 
ligious life, is to enlist every one in the work of Christ 
and the good of their fellow-men. When my ministra- 
tions began here the church numbered about two hun- 
dred and twenty-five members. The following brethren 
were deacons : S. P. Shriver, John Lighthill, James 
Old, George D. McGrew, Joseph E. Johnston, and 
H. W. Coffin. Joseph Johnston is a member of the 
Hazelwood church ; Brother Coffin is at Des Moines 
Iowa ; and John Lighthill, for several years, has been 
prevented from even attending public worship, by 
reason of ill health. Isaac W. Tener was the elder. 
In the fall of 1869 he went to San Francisco, and is now 
living at Orange, Southern California. He was a wise, 
good man ; after leaving we missed his advice and 
counsel very much. I have had two letters from him 
lately, in one of which he reports that he has good 
health, and is now seventy-five years old. Of the nine 
men who are now deacons of the church, not counting 
John Lighthill, but two were members of the church 
twenty years ago. All the Others have come in and 
been elected to the office since. Henry B. Goe, James 
Old, and John P. Scott, were elected elders. Brother 
Scott passed to the eternal life beyond the river about 
three years ago. My record shows that during the first 
year of my ministry here there were forty-four addi- 
tions ; ten were baptized ; the first on my list of bap- 
tisms is John R. Watson, and the second Henry 
Spangler, both of whom are here to-day, as they 



Farewell Discourse. 437 

always are, deacons and trustees, faithful teachers in 
the Sunday-school, and have been useful and efficient 
members. One of those ten died a year ago last 
Wednesday ; at his funeral I spoke words of comfort to 
the afflicted family, and then followed his remains to 
the place of interment. Three of those went to Ohio, 
one of whom, a nephew of Henry Baxter, has 
preached some, and the rest aie still members of this 
congregation. Twenty-one during the first year were 
received by letter or certificate, and thirteen were re- 
stored to membership in the church, making forty-four 
in all. There were eight deaths, and three were dis- 
missed by certificate to other congregations, making a 
net increase of thirty-three; and July 1, 1864, tne 
membership numbered two hundred and seventy-two. 
One year we had over eighty additions in all ; and for 
some ten or twelve years not less in any one yeai than 
thirty -five, so that for many years we averaged about 
one accession to the church per week. I have given 
the hand of fellowship, on behalf of the church, either 
on confession of faith and baptism, or on certificate, or 
restoration, to nearly one thousand people. How 
many of these will be elected to eternal life in the 
great day of final adjudication I know not. About one 
hundred and sixty have been removed from our midst 
by death. I have preached nearly, if not quite eighteen 
hundred sermons, and married I know not how many. 
The oldest member of the church is Sarah D. 
Packard, who is in her eighty-first year, and lives on 
Washington avenue ; she is frail and feeble, but is 
about the house, and rejoices in the hope of soon 
entering into rest. The one who has for the greatest 
number of years been a member of the church is Jane 



438 Sermons. 

McGrew, whose baptism and confession of faith 
in Christ dates back to a period of ten years before 
the church was organized in 1833, or 1834. We 
have many young people who are members, but 
Which of them is the youngest of all in years 
I know not. These to me have been years of toil 
and labor ; evidently I have exhausted myself in efforts 
to do you good. You who do not do much mental 
labor, and whose exercise is chiefly physical do not 
know and can not realize how exhausting mental labor 
is to both mind and body ; but I have been happy 
among you, and leave for a time with the consciousness 
that I have given you the best years of my life, and 
that I have earned the right to rest, and I shall rest for 
a year with a good conscience, though I would much 
rather work. 

In looking back over the twenty years just gone I 
am reminded of the great and numerous changes that 
have taken place in the world, in our country, in this 
city, in the Sunday-school, and in the church. We 
were then in the midst of a great war, a mighty con- 
flict ; the two great sections of our country, the North 
and the South, were arrayed against each other in grim- 
visaged war. I married some who went the next day 
to the field of battle. The whole country was in a state 
of great excitement. There was then no submarine 
cable connecting America and Great Britain ; now the 
globe is nearly, if not altogether, begirt with submarine 
cables. 

At that time there was no railway to the 
Pacific coast ; now there are three great trans-conti- 
nental routes to the shores of the Pacific. To the new 
inventions and discoveries in science and art ; to the 



Farewell Discourse. 439 

marvelous progress made in every direction that looks 
toward the higher civilization of the race, time will not 
allow me even to allude. This city has nearly trebled 
in population. Twenty years ago there were four 
wards, now there are thirteen ; there were then twenty- 
four school directors, now there are seventy-eight, and 
a corresponding increase in councilmen. The post- 
office was in a comparatively small room at the corner of 
Federal and Lacock streets, and you had to go there 
for your letters ; now they are delivered at your door 
three or four times a day. These parks, now so beau- 
tiful, with their walks, shade trees, fountains, flower 
beds, and medallions in flowers, lakes and monuments, 
were then common in the true sense ; a receptacle for 
old shoes, ashes, worn out tinware, and truck of almost 
every kind. On this street four new churches have 
been built. Coming into this congregation, what 
changes have there been ! If all you now present, 
who were not present June twenty-eighth, 1863, were 
to arise and go out, leaving those who were, how 
many, think you, would be left ? Hardly a score ! A 
new generation has come upon the stage of action 
and the theater of human life, and there are four 
young people now members of the church where there 
was not one then. 

We sometimes look upon the Sunday-school, the 
prayer-meeting, and the congregation in the house of 
worship on the Lord's day, and we wish more were 
present ; we feel somewhat discouraged, and think we 
are not doing much, nor reaching the people. All 
this may be true to a certain extent ; but for your en- 
couragement I wish to say this : the Sunday-school, 
under the auspices of this church, is now, and has 



440 Sermons. 

been for many years, the largest and most prosperous 
in our whole brotherhood. I speak advisedly, and not 
at random. 

There are about thirty-five hundred churches and 
congregations of our people in the world. The Sun- 
day-school of this church is, I have reason to believe, the 
largest of them all. There are more young people who 
are being trained, taught and prepared for membership 
than in any other congregation. You may ask, How 
do you know that ? My answer is, from the testimony 
of others. 

Dr. W. A. Belding has traveled extensively 
among our churches from Maine to Mississippi, and 
from New York to San Francisco ; he has been in as 
many churches and is acquainted with as many congre- 
gations as any other minister among us ; and he told 
me last winter we had the largest and most promising 
Sunday-school he had seen anywhere in all his travels. 
Timothy Coop, of Southport, England, has been twice 
in this country before the present year; in 1869, and 
again four or five years ago. He spent a Lord's day 
here each time ; he saw our school ; he had been, he 
said, in all the schools in the principal cities of the 
country, and his words were, " I have not seen a Sun* 
day-school anywhere that promises so well for the future 
as this one," referring to ours. F. M. Green was for 
eight or ten years the Corresponding Secretary of our 
General Missionary Society ; he has been here, and bore 
similar testimony. There are not many churches in 
any denomination that have so large a membership of 
young people as this. The outlook for the future, 
therefore, is hopeful ; and from the first day I came here 
till the present I have steadily kept in view the young 



Farewell Discourse. 441 

and their welfare. I have hunted up children ; and many 
and many a time have I gone on Sunday morning to 
homes and taken children to the school. The same 
brethren have borne like testimony to the size of our 
congregation on the Lord's day compared with congre- 
gations in other cities. They thought them unusually 
large ; and in proportion to our membership and ad- 
herents I have preached to as large congregations, per- 
haps, as any other man in our brotherhood, unless it 
be in one or two of the churches in Louisville. That we 
may not be discouraged, it is well to know these things 
and keep them in mind. In no spirit of boasting, 
however, do I give utterance to these facts. Another 
thing I wish to say for your encouragement, the repu- 
tation of this church is to-day very different and vastly 
better than it was twenty years ago. You older mem- 
bers know that very well. We have secured recogni- 
tion, favorable recognition, such as the church never had 
before in this whole community. The church stands 
well to-day at home ; and that is no small matter. I have 
preached boldly and fearlessly our distinctive doc- 
trines ; I kept back no part of the truth ; I have sought 
favor from no man ; popularity has never been an ob- 
ject sought after by me, but I have preached in a way 
that has secured respect and not provoked unholy 
opposition. Among our brotherhood of churches 
abroad there is not one that has a better reputation 
than the Allegheny church. For years this has been 
regarded as a model church among our people ; breth- 
ren from abroad, who have been here, have been uni- 
formly pleased, and more than once have I been told, 
with no intention of flattering me, that in good order 
and everything becoming and desirable in the house 



44 2 Sermons. 

of God, we had a model congregation. If it is so, 
may it ever remain so, and grow better with the pass- 
ing of each year. 

In addition to my work as a minister, for seventeen 
years I have held the position of a member of the school 
board ; that is the only position I would have accepted. 
My interest in the young, in their education and wel- 
fare, induced me to accept this. This widened my in- 
fluence, especially with the teachers of the city, who, 
next to ministers, are the most useful class in society. 
In an educational point of view I have tried to exert an 
influence for good. Among the seventy-eight directors 
there are but one or two who have been members of 
the city school board as long as I ; becoming a member 
when there were but twenty-four; there are now sev- 
enty-eight. I have always been an advocate of reform 
and improvement in school methods and instruction. 
I was one of the first to favor the election of a city 
superintendent, and for the past eight years there has 
been such a school officer. I advocated a high school 
when there was but one member beside myself who 
thought as I did about it; I spoke of it in our local 
board ; at every fitting opportunity I advocated it in 
the meetings of the board of control ; I recommended 
the establishing of such a school in my annual reports 
to the board during the seven years I was president ; 
the sentiment in favor of it increased, and to-day there 
is a high school on Sherman avenue of one hundred 
and twenty-five pupils and four teachers. My strength, 
however, has been laid out on the church, in preparing 
my sermons, in preaching, in visiting, and in pastoral 
work. Here in the church I have sought to make im- 
pressions for eternity, and though I have been with 



Farewell Discourse. 443 

you " in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling, " 
my conscience is at rest in the consciousness that I 
have done the best I could. During nineteen of 
these years there has stood by my side my ever faith- 
ful and precious wife, who has been a true helpmeet to 
me in my work ; who has never spoken, either to me 
or in my hearing, an impatient word ; whose patience 
and gentleness often, but whose tongue never, has re- 
buked me ; who has strengthened me in hours of 
depression and weakness, and who has read to me 
many an hour when I was too weary to read to myself. 
Without her aid and sympathy I could not have done 
what I have. 

And now we go forth from you for a time, not 
knowing the things that may befall us ; but trusting in 
that Father who hears the ravens when they cry 
who notices the fall of the sparrow ; who numbers 
the hairs of our heads ; and who delights in his 
children. Whatever comes to us will be right; for 
living or dying we are his. After leaving Pittsburg, 
which we expect to do in a few days, we will not 
quit the cars until we arrive at Los Angeles in South- 
ern Colifornia ; there we will go by conveyance eight 
or ten miles north to a place called Pasadena, in the 
San Gabriel Valley, where we expect to remain for 
some time. Pasadena is said to be a beautiful place. 
It has about one thousand inhabitants, spread over an 
area of country about seven miles from north to south 
and from four to five east and west. Why go so far 
from home ? perhaps some one asks. Our answer is, 
for a complete change of climate. 

I have investigated the matter ; I have had letters 
from brethren who have lived in Southern California 



444 Sermons. 

for years ; I have talked with persons who have resided 
there for months, and their uniform testimony is that 
it is the most delightful climate they ever knew. The 
atmosphere is stimulating, invigorating aud balmy ; it 
strengthens and soothes and tones up the system ; the 
winters are mild and sunshiny ; three hundred and forty 
or more days of every year even an invalid can stay out 
of doors and not be injured ; we are going to that re- 
gion where we can live the coming winter in the open 
air and rest. After having been there for a time I 
will write you a letter, which may be read in the prayer 
meeting or church, to let you know about us. 

There are two things I have always wished to do, 
but for one reason or another I have never been able, 
(i) To have under my personal instruction a class 
of catechumens (i. e., a. class of young people), who 
are being taught in the Holy Scriptures, trained and 
prepared for membership in the church ; for my con- 
viction' is that before persons make the good confession 
they should be instructed in Christian truth and doc- 
trine. We have never depended in this church upon 
revival meetings for accessions, and I hope we never 
may. I have all confidence in religious instruction, 
in training, in the development and growth of Chris- 
tian character, through church life and personal effort 
for the good of others. (2) To have a normal class 
for the preparation of young people for teaching in 
the Sunday-school. Every pastor should, if possible, 
do work of this kind. Successful Sunday-school teach- 
ing demands to-day a higher order of talent and more 
thorough preparation than in former years. 

And now, in conclusion, I give you the following 
advice : 



Farewell Discourse. 445 

(1) Be faithful. Be loyal to Christ, and true to 
your profession. Do your duty, and live as becomes 
the gospel of Christ, which you profess. Be in your 
place at the hour of prayer. Last Wednesday evening 
nearly a hundred were present ; may no meeting be 
smaller! Attend the Sunday-school and the services 
on the Lord's day. Let no one be absent because I 
am not present. In spirit I will be with you. 

(2) Speak well of the minister who will take my 
place for the time I am absent. Sustain him by your 
presence and prayers. Never praise me in his pres- 
ence. Make no comparisons between him and me, 
unless they be in his favor. Meekly listen to the word 
of God spoken by him, and try to profit thereby. 

(3) Keep your interest in missionary work. Attend 
the monthly meetings, both of the Mission Band and 
the Women's Auxiliary, and be regular in your contri- 
butions to their treasuries. Gratified by your well-doing 
in the past in regard to missionary work, continue to 
do well in the future. 

(4) Care for one another in the Lord. Pray for 
each other ; visit the sick, and minister to the wants of 
the needy and suffering. 

During these years of service now gone I have 
preached to you the word of God ; a large majority of 
you who are members (the present membership of the 
church is five hundred and sixty) I have baptized and 
given to you the hand of fellowship ; many of you I 
have married ; I have been with you both in joy and 
sorrow; I have comforted your suffering and dying 
ones ; I have wept with you over your dead ; I have 
spoken words of consolation at their funerals ; I have 
stood with you at the open grave as they were laid 



446 Sermons. 

away ; on some I have imposed hands, ordaining you 
to office in the church ; I have prayed for you by 
name ; it has been my custom for years to keep a list 
of the names of persons for whom, by name, I would 
offer special prayer ; before going forth to do pastoral 
work in the afternoon, or evening, I would pray for 
wisdom or divine guidance that in my intercourse with 
others I might manifest the spirit and temper of 
heaven ; that I might be able to give good advice, speak 
right words, and exemplify the spirit of the Master, 
and after going home I would pray for those whom 
I had seen and talked with ; especially have I prayed 
for those who have become disaffected, and turned 
away from the church and from me ; — all these things 
have bound me to you by ties stronger than death, 
and I leave you for a time with a father's kindness and 
a mother's love in my heart towards you all. It will 
be two heavens to me to meet you all in heaven at last. 
" And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and 
to the word of his grace, who is able to build you up, 
and to give you an inheritance among all the sancti- 
fied." "Be of good comfort; live in peace, and the 
God of peace will be with you." 



